ARBELOA: WE OWE FANS A VICTORY

Alvaro Arbeloa admits he and his teammates owe the Anfield faithful a victory over Manchester United.

The Kop has endured more than four years without a league win over Alex Ferguson's men, with our single crumb of comfort being a 1-0 victory en route to the 2006 FA Cup final. Last season's clash at Anfield saw Carlos Tevez pinch the only goal of a fiery encounter. Arbeloa expects a similarly physical clash this time round but insists the Reds will fight tooth and nail to ensure the scoreline makes vastly different reading. "That was a really bad experience at Anfield last season," the European champion told Liverpoolfc.tv. "I know how much of an important game it is for us and our supporters and we were all really disappointed. It is just as important for me as the supporters. "I think this game is worth much more than three points. If we beat Manchester United at home we will have 10 points and much more confidence. But everyone will also be very, very happy." While Liverpool wait on the fitness of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, United have injury worries of their own. Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted 42 goals last season, is still recovering from an ankle injury and will definitely miss the Anfield trip. Arbeloa, though, doesn't expect his absence to make too much difference. "United don't have Ronaldo, but they still have really good players like Nani, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and now Dimitar Berbatov," said the 25-year-old. "I really don't know if it will be easier without Ronaldo." Arbeloa is now fully focused on Liverpool's quest for silverware after a summer he will never forget. The full-back made one appearance as Spain claimed their first major honour since 1964 before parading the trophy round the streets of Madrid. He added: "The experience was amazing. It was good for us because we won a trophy for Spain after 44 years. "It has been really important for us. To win a trophy like that was amazing. One million people greeted us in Madrid to celebrate our victory, so I have really good memories. "I only played one game in the tournament, but it was very important for me because it was my first tournament with Spain. It is always important to play with good players like that." While Arbeloa was playing in Austria and Switzerland, Liverpool were busy tying up a deal for fellow right-back Philipp Degen. Much was made over the summer about the need for attacking full-backs, with Degen and Andrea Dossena seemingly brought in to provide extra width. Arbeloa welcomes the competition but insists the first job of any full-back is always to defend. He said: "I want to play as many games as possible but Philipp Degen is a very good player. The most important thing is the team. "With Rafa, we know we have to work really hard and it's important to have confidence. Every game you have to show your quality. "For Rafa, the first thing is always defence. When you are a defender you have to do that first. But when the team is attacking I want to get forward and help out too. "For me a clean sheet is the most important thing. If it was up to me to score goals, Liverpool would have a very poor season - it is not my job to score goals."