'It could have been title clash'

Rafael Benitez is convinced Sunday's clash with Manchester United would have been a title showdown had Fernando Torres been injury-free this season.

The Spain international has hit four goals in two games this week to take his tally to 17 for the season.

All this despite missing key games through injury - leaving Benitez wondering what might have been.

"It's easy and very simple for me to say yes, the gap would be reduced at the top," the boss told his pre-match press conference.

"By how much you never know, but to have Torres fully fit and scoring goals could make a big difference.

"We needed some confidence and we played really well against Portsmouth, and against Lille we played a very good game.

"We have some confidence and hopefully we can get a good result at Old Trafford."

Watch Rafa's pre-Man U press conference>>

Torres has scored in his last two meetings with United and Benitez was questioned by reporters about whether he has a psychological edge over defender Nemanja Vidic.

"Vidic is a good player with experience so it will be tough for Torres to beat him but hopefully he can do it," the boss said.

"The main thing is the team is doing well and if we work like we did against Portsmouth and Lille then we can win against anyone."

Benitez was also quizzed on whether Liverpool had to win their remaining eight Barclays Premier League games in order to secure a top-four finish.

"I think we have to approach this first game with confidence and thinking about to win, then after we will see the next one so it's one game at a time," he said.

"All of the teams are losing points and not winning every game so we have to approach this first game with confidence and get three points."

The boss was also asked about the intense rivalry that exists between the two teams and both sets of supporters.

"The rivalry between both teams is massive and we know everybody will be watching this game," he said.

"It doesn't matter about the positions in the table when Liverpool play Manchester United because both teams want to win so I think the pressure is on both sides.

"We need to win. We want to be in the top four so we have to win a lot of games and get a lot of points."

On whether his side can repeat their magnificent 4-1 win at Old Trafford last term, Benitez added: "This is another game, another season, so we have to approach it with confidence and thinking about another challenge."

Relive the 4-1 in two minutes>>