RAFA AND STEVIE'S PRE-MATCH NOTES

It's the morning of our biggest game of the season so far and Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard have been sharing their pre-match thoughts in today's official matchday programme. Read their views online now.

Welcome to Anfield for what is always one of the biggest games of the season here. Matches against Manchester United take on added importance for the club and our fans. Of course, Everton are our immediate local rivals but Liverpool versus Manchester United is also considered a derby match because of the rivalry between the supporters and the fact both clubs are typically fighting for top honours each year. We know United are a team that will be up at the top of the table each season, so it is important for us to try and get three points against them. They're also a team that doesn't concede many goals. Neither do we and, although our record against them has not been great in recent years, the games have often been very close. The key to the outcome of these matches often comes down to a small detail and scoring first can make a massive difference. Last year's corresponding fixture was a good example of this when a combination of mistakes and bad luck led to the winning goal. We failed to close down a short corner quickly enough. As the defence moved out, we had a man on the back post playing Carlos Tevez onside who then scored. You can't afford to make mistakes at this level and we need to be more aware this afternoon. Other factors came into the defeat at Old Trafford last season but if you think we finished 11 points behind United, a couple of wins against them would have resulted in a 12 point swing. Clearly, we know we have to be better against the top three sides in the Premier League. Four points from a possible 18 against them last season wasn't good enough. If we want to be title contenders we need to improve against these sides. Winning these games is not just about points though. It can give the team confidence to take into forthcoming games. A win today would do exactly that going into Tuesday's Champions League game against Marseille. United have quality throughout their squad, something they've added to with the signing of Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov was their only notable addition this summer. But when a team has enjoyed the success United did last season, you don't need to make too many changes. They paid a lot of money for Berbatov who will bring quality to a squad that has been strengthened gradually in recent years. I'm happy with the players we have brought in before the transfer window closed. We've set out to improve the full-backs and our movement going forward from the wide areas. Andrea Dossena and Phillip Degen have the offensive mentality we're looking for and we've also strengthened in attack with Albert Riera, Robbie Keane and David N'Gog. In terms of points and where we are in the table, I'm happy with our start to the season. Still, everyone knows we can improve and play much better. It is easier to keep the team winning if we are playing better, something we will be striving to do today. Rafael Benitez At the time of writing these notes I'm still not sure whether or not I'm going to be fit enough to play a part in today's game. I've got my fingers crossed and we'll have our answer when George reads the teams out. I'm desperate to play; alongside the Merseyside derby today's game is the fixture I look for when they're announced in June. The rehab from my groin operation has gone well and I was able to train a bit with the boys this week in the build-up to the game. But the season is about 38 league games, another dozen cup games – hopefully – as well as the European Cup campaign. If I'm not 100 per cent ready and able to make an impact on the game then I won't play – it's as simple as that. That doesn't mean I'm not champing at the bit to be out there on the pitch and playing my part in what we hope will be a Liverpool win. They're great games to be involved in – if you win. If you lose, it's hellish. But we're not even thinking about that this afternoon. In the last two fixtures between us and United here at Anfield they've won the games without having to do too much. Both teams have virtually cancelled each other out and we've been undone by a couple of mistakes. They haven't been great games to watch as spectacles for the fans – especially our fans who've seen us lose both times. We've been hard done by in a way, but at the same time not playing at anything like the level we know we are capable of playing at hasn't helped us either. It's been a long time since we won against United here at Anfield, and today's the ideal time to change that. Talking about it here or in the dressing room won't achieve anything – we've got to go and do our talking on the pitch. The first goal in these games is everything, and it would be a massive thing if we could begin at a high tempo, get ahead early, and really take the game to United. Both teams have spent a bit in the transfer market over the summer, and with us and United knowing each other so well then maybe it's these players who will be the difference. United spent a lot on Berbatov on deadline day and he's a top quality striker. When you add him to Rooney and Tevez then that's a strong unit. But so is the Carragher and Skrtel partnership and in Pepe we've got the best keeper in the Premier League so we're confident we can keep whoever is in the United team quiet. But we want them worrying about us going forward. The most important goal Robbie Keane will ever score for us is the first one. After that goes in – and we all hope it's today – then they're going to flow. He's got the full support of the fans, the boss and the lads because we see how well he's playing outside the box, we see the effort he's putting in selflessly for the team and we know he's too good to run dry for long. We believe we've got game winners all over this team. Robbie will be ready for kick-off, and so will the rest of the boys. Steven Gerrard