Juan Mata Says Manchester United Can 'Change the Dynamic' Against Liverpool

Juan Mata has promised Manchester United will give the maximum effort to beat Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday and alter the pattern of their season. 

The Red Devils' bitter rivals will arrive in Manchester as leaders of the Premier League, having won eight matches out of eight. By contrast, United are languishing in 12th after taking just nine points to start the campaign.

Mata knows the importance of quickly getting back on track and believes the visit of a familiar foe is the right time to start. The midfielder wrote on his blog (h/t Charlotte Duncker of the Manchester Evening News): "On Sunday we have a great chance to change the dynamic and we are all very motivated to take the win. We are United, we are playing at home and we will give everything to be able to take the victory that our fans deserve in such a special game."

Overcoming Liverpool won't be easy for a United side dealing with a lengthy list of injuries. Among those set to miss out is goalkeeper David De Gea, who limped off during Spain's 1-1 draw with Sweden in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed on Wednesday De Gea, playmaker Paul Pogba and forward Jesse Lingard will sit out Sunday's game, per Sky Sports.

Missing key players from both ends of the pitch is a recipe for disaster against a Liverpool squad thriving in every area. The defence hasn't been as stingy as last season, but things will soon improve with centre-back Joel Matip and goalkeeper Alisson Becker both back in training, per James Carroll of the club's official website.

Whoever plays in defence can expect to be amply protected by a midfield defined by the brawn and industry of Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson.

United's bigger worry will be the form and fitness of Mohamed Salah. He took a knock to the ankle during Liverpool's 2-1 win over Leicester City earlier this month, but Salah is likely to feature and has the chance to end a drought against United:

Goals haven't been easy to come by for Solskjaer's men. He'll hope Marcus Rashford can rediscover the scoring touch after finding the net in style during England's 6-0 win away to Bulgaria on Monday:

Part of Rashford's problem is that he isn't a natural centre-forward and is often more effective from wide areas. Yet no matter where he plays, Rashford and the rest of the United forward line need more consistent supply from midfield.

It's something Pogba can provide, but the onus is now on players like Mata to pick up the slack. Unfortunately for United, the 31-year-old has failed to contribute a single goal or assist from nine appearances in all competitions so far this season.

United will soon be overrun without some guile to unlock the Liverpool defence and put the visitors on the back foot. Another defeat would increase the mounting pressure on Solskjaer, amid a report from Italian publication Tuttosport (h/t MailOnline's Ben Nagle) former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is being lined up to take his place.

Either way, falling further than 15 points behind Liverpool would only emphasise United's struggles and make it more difficult for the club to return to the top four.