Sloot believes Liverpool can do even better, aiming for a higher ranking.

Another key match in the 35th round of the 2025/26 Premier League season will take place, with Liverpool traveling to Old Trafford to challenge Manchester United. Manager Sloot stated in a press conference that the current schedule is less congested than in the past, allowing players to better regain their form to strive for Champions League qualification and a higher ranking, but he also believes the Reds can perform even better.

After goals from Isak, Robertson, and Wirtz, Liverpool defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 at Anfield in the last round of the Premier League. With three consecutive wins, Liverpool currently sits in fourth place in the standings with 58 points and is on track to qualify for the Champions League.

As for Manchester United, Carrick's team is ranked 3rd in the standings with 61 points, and has achieved 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the last 5 rounds.

Liverpool manager Sloot said, "Every game we play affects our league position, and I think that's always been the case. So it's not just against Manchester United, it's every game of the week. But we also know that this is a very important game, not only because it's against Manchester United, but also because it's about securing Champions League qualification and getting as high as possible in the standings, which is certainly what we want to achieve."

“Our original goal was to compete for the league title, but that’s no longer possible. Now we must strive for the highest possible ranking, which is something we work on every week, and we will continue to do so in the next game.”

In head-to-head records, Liverpool have a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 5 matches against Manchester United, including an away defeat to them in the first leg of this season.

Sloth stated, "When we played them last season, their league ranking wasn't like it is now. I said then that their players were much stronger than their ranking suggested. After bringing in several players during another transfer window, I can almost say that their strength is finally reflected in the standings."

They didn't do a good enough job of converting scoring opportunities.

“Before each match, I can see their strength through analysis, and I always have the same feeling during the game. Now, under Carrick’s leadership, their performance has become more consistent.”

Sloth pointed out, "Isaac is gradually regaining his playing time, and if he can maintain his best form, it will further improve our attacking efficiency. Overall, a complete squad helps improve consistency. We are no longer playing three matches in seven days, which also helps us maintain our form."

"However, converting chances into goals is something we haven't done well enough all season, and the players we've always thought could bring in a lot of goals have rarely gotten playing time. Last week he took his chance, although it wasn't our biggest chance of the season, but he still scored very well."

In addition, Sloot said, "We are delighted to see Isak return, and it is a pity that Salah, an important striker for many years, is unavailable, but Isak can play. Some players are not currently scoring as many goals as they should, but this situation will eventually return to normal, and of course, the sooner the better."

When asked whether the team had returned to its expected level, Slaughter said, "I think we can perform better than we are now. If we only look at the results, we can certainly be very positive because we have won three consecutive league games. But in terms of performance, these are not our three best games of the season. We can play better, and we have proven that. This team has higher strength, and it would be more helpful if the squad were more complete, which we haven't done all season. There are currently a lot of players missing, which is particularly obvious."

"The good thing is that we're only playing one game a week now, although I would have preferred to play the Champions League semi-final midweek. But since that's not the case, it means that the players who have been playing consistently will get better rest for the weekend game. However, overall, we can perform much better than we have recently."

Image source: Internet