The stakes are high when Manchester United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday for a huge FA Cup clash.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are still chasing an unprecedented quadruple. They already have the Carabao Cup in the bag after beating Chelsea at Wembley last month, and with the Premier League title race hotting up and a comfortable passage through to the Europa League quarter-final against Sparta Prague on Thursday night, Klopp’s side are in good form.
In contrast, the FA Cup represents the last chance of silverware for United this season. Erik ten Hag’s job is under serious threat as he fights to convince Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he’s the right man to lead the club forward.
With the added intensity of a derby game against a long-standing rival, it’s no wonder all eyes will be on Manchester at 3.30pm on Sunday. On-loan United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has had little experience of the rivalry, but he says he appreciates how important the quarter-final is. And he has cranked up the heat by claiming the players will ‘fight for their lives’ against Klopp’s men.
In an interview with the United Review matchday programme, Amrabat said: “It’s the do or die or the eat or get eaten. So we have to be ready. We have to be prepared. It was like I said, the pull is strong, but they want to win and we want to win.
“So we have to be hungry. We have to. We have to fight for every metre, to give our lives, and yeah, do or die.”
Amrabat has struggled to impress during his season-long loan spell, and endured a tough time when he made a rare start alongside Kobbie Mainoo in the centre of midfield in the 0-0 draw at Anfield earlier this season. It remains the only time a side has prevented Klopp’s men from scoring this term, but Amrabat was slaughtered by pundit Jamie Carragher for his performance, who said the player ‘can’t run’.
Nevertheless, the Morocco international insists he enjoyed the game. “It was a very nice experience,” he said. “I think it’s clear that Liverpool, they are very strong. Also, this season, they have played very good football. I think our game there was very hard. It’s not easy to get the result at Anfield. But we played and it was zero-zero.
“I think it’s a very good and important point. But now we play at home against them. We have a lot of respect for them. Of course, we want to win the game. So to me, I think it is a very nice game. We are at home with a full stadium so this is a big boost for us.”
