Jurgen Klopp explains why he doesn't want 'bad things' said about Man Utd

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stressed he does not want to talk about Manchester United's poor season so far as it would give them further motivation for Sunday's meeting at Anfield.

The Red Devils were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday night with a 1-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich, while they sit sixth in the Premier League standings and are the only team in the top eight with a negative goal difference.

United will also be looking to avenge their 7-0 humbling at Liverpool back in March, and Klopp has insisted he is not interested in talking about his rivals' "situation" as it could serve to fire them up.

"I do not like all this talk around it. It is always like this. The more bad things people say about them, the stronger they will show up. That is always the case. I don't like that," Klopp said.

"I don't know about the situation there. I am interested in our situation. It is a home game and we have to show up. We are in our own stadium, we have to create an atmosphere and go for them and not think about anything else"

Klopp added: "I never like when the headlines about United are not great before we play because it's like 'OK, then it is the game where they can put everything right'.

"I don't follow United closely enough to know exactly what the problem is there but I saw Erik ten Hag was manager of the month last month and I saw they were the team in form in the last month so how can it be all wrong? I just don't understand it.

"And yes, the 7-0 we knew that day it was a freak result that happens once in a lifetime. If it helps anyone for the next game it is the team who lost 7-0 and not the team who won 7-0.

"If you take it all out of consideration and just play a football game against the historical rival of Liverpool at home at Anfield and that itself must make it a special game and that's what I want to see from us, a special game. Really understand the situation and give your all, that's all I need."

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