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Virgil van Dijk admitted that form will not play a role in the proceedings as Liverpool host Manchester United in a long-awaited clash.
The reigning Premier League champions will welcome the Red Devils at Anfield on Sunday with Arne Slot's men attempting to end a three-match losing streak, with two of those defeats coming in the league.
While Ruben Amorim's side have endured a disappointing start to the season, they'll return from the international break off the back of a win, after beating Sunderland 2-0 earlier this month. Both clubs have yet to play to the potential they expect to this season but the Reds captain claimed that past performances mean little when it comes to the two biggest clubs in England battling against each other.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 34-year-old said: "Everyone understands the importance of the game. I could say it's a game on it's own, it doesn't really matter what kind of form any team is [in].
"We've been through phases already and especially the years I've been at the club that maybe I felt we could have them and obviously we drew twice in the last two seasons and we played away and we got knocked out of the FA Cup, that was pretty tough. They are always difficult, we have to be ready for the big fight."
Liverpool did claim all three points when beating United 3-0 at Old Trafford last season but could only muster up a point in the reverse fixture in January earlier this year when they drew 2-2.
Amorim's side certainly felt disappointed that they didn't leave Anfield with a win after what was an impressive performance despite having lost their last three games prior to the match without scoring a single goal.
Liverpool's last league win at home against their bitter rivals came in the shock 7-0 win under Jurgen Klopp but have claimed just one win against United in all competitions in the five games they've played since then.
In the interview, Van Dijk admitted they are aware of United's talent despite their 10th-placed standing so far but did mention that they have weaknesses capable of capitalising on.
"They made quality signings and they can hurt any team in the league, that's what they've been doing at times throughout the season," he added, "Like I said, it's a game that we have to be ready for whatever scenario, set-pieces or counter-attacks, we have to be ready.
Liverpool's three-match losing run is the first of Slot's managerial career and first the club have endured since 2023. The Dutchman insisted that improvements across the board must be made as he stated: "It's pretty clear that we have to improve, offensively, defensively, in possession, set-pieces but the matter of fact that in total, we won seven out of 10 and we still have so much to improve.
"You can put it the other way and put into perspective that if we improve those things, it could be a very special season. We know how the world works, we know there's a lot of noise, analysis on certain things, it's down to us to focus on the target ahead."
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