Jurgen Klopp out to end Man Utd hoodoo as Liverpool look to prove gulf in class

It would be fair to say that the 201st meeting of Liverpool and Manchester United represents a clash between two teams heading in completely different directions.

A look to the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s game shows a 16-point gap separating the sides after as many fixtures, with no statistical expertise required to extrapolate that over a 38-game season.

Consequently, Jurgen Klopp’s team find themselves in the midst of a rare league title bid, while their rivals are already facing an uphill battle to secure Champions League qualification.

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But it is comparisons to last year that perhaps best illustrate the recent trajectory of these two great clubs.

Liverpool’s defensive improvement has been much discussed this term, but for good reason: a goals against column that has reduced from 20 to six over the first 16 outings is worth shouting about.

Conversely, for United, that figure has ballooned from 11 to 26 - just two shy of the 28 they conceded in total in 2017-18.

Although they cannot be held solely responsible for those statistics, the diverging fortunes of the two clubs’ goalkeepers certainly paint a picture when it comes to their teams’ overall progress.

Twelve months ago, it would have been considered unthinkable to draw comparisons between Man Utd and Liverpool in that area of the pitch as Loris Karius struggled and David de Gea continued to produce sheer goalkeeping brilliance on a weekly basis.

Now, however, LFC’s summer signing Alisson Becker comes into this game having picked up 10 league clean sheets this term - one more than his Red Devils counterpart has kept in the entirety of 2018.

Despite his recent struggles, De Gea heads to Anfield boosted by the fact that he has not conceded a goal there in three successive league visits.

But, contrary to popular belief, he won’t be coming up against a Reds team that has declined in attack in any noticeable way.

An allegedly more prosaic Liverpool team has matched the 34-goal tally had clocked up by the 16th game of last season, despite their clear gains in terms of the defence.

Jose Mourinho’s men, meanwhile, had 36 in the goals for column this time last year but have just 28 to their name this time around.

Of course, even during periods where they have been at their most deadly, Klopp’s men haven’t found goals easy to come by against Mourinho’s teams.

Liverpool and United have played out back-to-back goalless draws at Anfield, with the latest stalemate in October of last year prompting Klopp to offer up notably barbed comments.

"I'm sure if we played like this, you could not do this at Liverpool. Obviously for United it is OK,” the German said after a defensive masterclass had denied his team.

Inevitably, Mourinho hit back by suggesting it was his opposite number who had kept things tight, declaring: “For me the second half was a game of chess, but my opponent didn't open the door for me to win the game.”

But, quite who should shoulder the blame for these drab affairs is largely irrelevant as far as Klopp is concerned - the Reds boss needs a win in this fixture no matter how it plays out this time.

Firstly, because the relentless Manchester City are likely to capitalise on any drop points in a ridiculously tight race at the top, but also because Manchester United represent the sole Premier League team he has yet to beat of the 26 he has faced.

Unfortunately that won’t be easy against Mourinho, a man whose love for raining on metaphorical parades was best summed up by a 2-0 win at Anfield with Chelsea in 2014 that destroyed the hosts’ title hopes.

The Portguese also has history on his side; United made a habit of upsetting Liverpool even during their most forgettable periods.

The Red Devils went eight seasons unbeaten at Anfield between 1979 and 1988 - years that saw their rivals win six league titles, two European Cups, four League Cups, and an FA Cup.

But, as a man who does not dwell too long on what has gone before, it was Klopp who said it best when reminded of his own poor record against United, simply declaring: “It’s time…”