Liverpool will face their bitter rivals in the Premier League this weekend when Manchester United make the short trip to Anfield and Jurgen Klopp will surely be desperate to give the supporters something to celebrate by putting on a fantastic performance.
The Reds are currently sixth in the top-flight table and are six points adrift from a Champions League qualifying spot inside the top four, so not only will the team be playing for pride on Merseyside but also for a crucial victory that could better their chances of climbing the table.
After seven years with Liverpool, Klopp will be extremely familiar with the fact that the two Premier League meetings with the Red Devils are some of the most highly-anticipated fixtures on the calendar every season, so the manager will want to provide a huge response on the pitch following a defeat to their rivals at Old Trafford last year.
As a result, the manager will be preparing his very best starting eleven available to face and frustrate Erik ten Hag’s in-form side which means that he must unleash Andy Robertson after leaving him out against Wolverhampton Wanderers mid-week.
Will Robertson start vs Manchester United?
There is no doubt that Robertson is one of the most trusted and relied-upon players in Klopp’s squad and has been integral in the success at Anfield since he joined from Hull City back in 2017.
Kostas Tsimikas started on the left flank against Wolves in the 2-0 victory on Wednesday night, however, Robertson’s return to his starting position in the team will surely be a no-brainer for Klopp in the preparations for Man United.
Over 21 Premier League appearances, the Scotland captain – hailed “exceptional” by international boss Steve Clarke – has registered five assists, created six big chances, and tallied up an 84% pass completion rate, as well as averaging 1.6 key passes, 73 touches, 43.7 accurate passes, 1.3 clearances and 2.4 duels won per game.
Tsimikas, meanwhile, has created 1.1 chances and won 1.9 duels per match in the top-flight, which suggests that the Greek international does offer as much as Robertson at either end of the field.
Not only that, the experience and impressive record that the £100k-per-week Liverpool ace has against Man United will further help him stake his claim to a spot in the starting line-up – delivering one assist, winning five, drawing five and losing only six out of the 16 outings the left-back has been involved in – avoiding defeat in the majority of the matches.
With that being said, Robertson could be an extremely valuable asset to Klopp in the bitter clash tomorrow and could be the key to frustrating Ten Hag’s men to improve the chances of securing another victory at Anfield.