Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson knows Fernando Torres has the edge on new Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic.
Hodgson believes Torres and the rest of his team will be anxious to prove a point against Manchester United - and the boss hopes his star striker will enjoy a psychological edge over defender Vidic after getting the better of the Serb in recent meetings.
He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "Torres is a human being - not a machine. The fact he's a good player for the club doesn't mean he's going to perform like a genius every time he gets on to the pitch. But he always wants to. Good players are good players, and good players will always come to the fore.
"On Sunday I'm sure that he and the team will be anxious to show that last Sunday was just one of those days, especially after the criticism they received."
Hodgson added: "I don't always give a lot of credence to these theories but Vidic might be a little bit worried about him.
"I've seen it happen in the past at Inter. We had a goalkeeper who when we played Sampdoria was very concerned about Mihailovic's corners and free-kicks. It certainly affected his confidence - that's what he told me.
"Having said that, I tend to think good players can put mistakes behind them and start with a clean slate - but I don't know."
