Manchester United vs. Liverpool: Key Comments from Brendan Rodgers' Presser

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has called on Dejan Lovren to show his character and bounce back from his poor performance against West Ham when the Reds meet Manchester United on Saturday.

Lovren came in for intense criticism following Liverpool's embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to the Irons last time out as his blunder was crucial in gifting West Ham their second goal.

But Rodgers refused to put all the blame on Lovren and has backed the 26-year-old to bounce back this weekend, a necessity for Liverpool as they face a tough task at Old Trafford, per Ben Burrows in the Mirror:

"Dejan knows we performed below the level in that game (against West Ham). He knows he made a mistake but it was about the collective. In his first three games this season Dejan showed he has the quality and the consistency to perform well. Now he has to show character, I’m sure he’ll do that."

Liverpool failed to get a point off United in the Premier League last season and were downed 3-0 at Old Trafford when they came up against a quite stunning David De Gea performance.

The Spanish goalkeeper is likely to be restored to the United side for the first time this season for Saturday's clash after signing a new deal at Old Trafford, the club confirmed.

Rodgers is treating the huge occasion between the Premier League's two biggest rivals as the perfect chance to respond to the West Ham defeat, per the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce:

The Reds will be without key man Philippe Coutinho through suspension in Manchester.

Daniel Sturridge remains absent through injury but Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana could still be available depending on their progress in the next 24 hours, per the Guardian's Andy Hunter:

Rodgers will likely be desperate for skipper Henderson to be available come Saturday, while Lallana could provide a necessary creative spark in the absence of Sturridge and Coutinho.

On Englishman Sturridge, Rodgers had positive news, suggesting that he is increasingly closing in on a return to first-team action, per Burrows: "Our tally of goals will increase as [the] team improves over [the] course of the season. Daniel coming back into the fold will help that. He looks really, really sharp in training. He’s the fittest he’s looked for 18 months."

Liverpool's main goalscoring outlet at Old Trafford will be Christian Benteke, who has found the back of the net just once so far this season in his first four league games for Liverpool, per WhoScored.com.

The Belgian has a massive opportunity to prove his worth at Old Trafford, as does Roberto Firmino who will likely be assisting Benteke in attack.

As Rodgers noted in his press conference, a clash against United could be the match Liverpool need to kick-start their season, per Burrows: "This is the biggest derby game in the history of this league. Winning a game like this can give you psychological boost."

While there is huge pressure on Liverpool to respond after the West Ham defeat, the Red Devils are also looking to bounce back from their recent loss to Swansea.

Despite some key absentees, Liverpool have immense quality in their squad.

If the defence can tighten up—with Lovren rising to Rodgers' challenge—and the Reds play effectively on the break, they have every opportunity to claim three points in United's back yard.