Liverpool ace Charlie Adam feels the midfield battle will decide their FA Cup tie with Manchester United.

The Scotland international hopes having Steven Gerrard fit and in the side could be crucial as the Reds look to dominate in the middle of the park and reach the fifth round.

Adam told FA TV: "When you've got any quality player like your captain sitting on the sidelines for as many months as he was, you're going to miss him.

"It's good to have him back and you can see he's starting to get back in his stride in the games.

"In these types of games it is the midfield. In the big games the midfield is the important battle. You need to get in there and get on top of them.

"Hopefully we've got the right players on the day, they're ready and we can win that midfield battle and get into the next round.

"We're at home and we hope we can put the pressure on to get into the hat for the next round."