Man Utd defender Smalling: Liverpool intensity did surprise me

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling admits the intensity of a Liverpool clash has taken him by surprise.

With an FA Cup fourth round defeat at Anfield two weeks ago still fresh in the memory, there is no hiding from the enmity he has so far experienced on four occasions when the two most successful clubs in English football collide.

"The intensity of it did surprise me," Smalling, who hopes he will be cleared to return from an abductor muscle strain today, told the Daily Mail. "There’s a massive rivalry and all week it’s building to one game. It’s good to be a part of something that everyone’s looking at.

"It was unfortunate when we played Liverpool in the cup because we dominated for long periods. But, being at Old Trafford, we can stamp our authority and build that pressure like they do at Anfield.

"All credit to their fans, they make it a real cauldron. It’s good to face the hatred at Anfield — it makes us stronger when we walk away from there with something. But the United fans will be more than behind us this time."