We might only be eight games into the season, but Liverpool have already developed a healthy lead over their rivals Manchester United, who currently sit in lowly 12th while the league leaders chase their 18th consecutive victory.

The two clubs may be fighting very different battles at this stage in their existence, but the rivalry, which arguably runs deeper than just football, remains as fiery and intense as ever.

"It is and it still is [the biggest game of the season] even if United is not doing as well now," former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique recently announced.

"For the players, for the fans, it is still the biggest game. Even Liverpool's rivalry with City, even with the way they are doing [pales in comparison]. The rivalry between United and Liverpool is different," he added.

Liverpool last won at Old Trafford in 2014, long before United's wheels started to fall off quite as fantastically as they have this term, but with the news breaking that David de Gea could miss Sunday’s game through injury, on top of the general lack of quality in just about every department of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad, there’s no better time to end their five-year barren spell.

Legends of their respective clubs, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, reminded us just how special the clash is with a hair-raising preview…