Jurgen Klopp has on this occasion made an excuse before Liverpool have even played, explaining why Manchester United may have an advantage over them ahead of Sunday’s clash.

Both Liverpool and United were in action on Wednesday, with Liverpool overcoming Wolves 2-0 in the Premier League and United securing safe passage into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over West Ham.

Klopp said after the win over Wolves that he relishing taking on one of the English top flight’s in-form teams and believes the Anfield crowd can have a big influence on the game.

But he also reckons United have an advantage having rested some of their top players in the FA Cup.

Speaking after the defeat of Wolves, the Reds chief said: “I think Man United is the team in form in the moment, maybe together with Arsenal and City are [also] doing well. The teams up there are all in a pretty good moment and I didn’t see yet the line-up [for United’s Emirates FA Cup game with West Ham United] but maybe they changed quite a few?

“That means some of them will be a bit fresher than us, but it’s a home game and it’s Anfield. I thought Anfield proved a point tonight again, it was super, super-enjoyable. It felt like a proper unit, we were all together – I loved that.

MAILBOX: Liverpool need Klopp now more than ever. Fergie never had it this hard…

“That’s what we need again on Sunday, but of course it will be difficult. Again, if you face United at the weekend whichever result you’ve had before, either way you have to strike back or whatever, but now we have to use it for our general situation. We have to build on the performance and on the result – and we try everything to do exactly that.”

Liverpool moved to within six points of Tottenham in fourth place, with a game in hand, after the victory on Wednesday, and will be just seven points behind Manchester United in third should they claim all three points at Anfield on Sunday.