Philippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho dazzled in Liverpool’s victory over Manchester City. Getty

Former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes that Manchester United will draw a blank and Liverpool will secure a comprehensive win over their long standing rivals in the race for a top four place at Anfield on Sunday.

Dalglish insists that the Premier League has not seen a better team in the past few months than Liverpool, who have taken the challenge by storm after Brendan Rodgers changed their formation following their 3-0 thrashing at Old Trafford.

The Reds have since drawn against Arsenal, beaten Southampton, Tottenham and Manchester City to make their way back into the mix.

Meanwhile, United have flattered to deceive over the past couple of months, losing to Arsenal in the quarter finals of the FA Cup, but come into the fixture on the back of a superb 3-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford.

However, their defence is unlikely to have a field day like they did against Spurs, with Liverpool's pacy frontline likely to be much more incisive than that of Tottenham, who were mostly insipid in their moves going forward.

However, the onus is on van Gaal to prove Dalglish wrong, with the latter believing that Liverpool's tactics would be too much for the Dutchman to handle and that the Red Devils will give in to the quick one touch football played by Rodgers' men.

"Since Brendan Rodgers changed Liverpool's formation late last year I have not seen a better team in England," Dalglish said in his column for the Daily Mirror.

"Some of the most impressive things about them have been their discipline, organisation and the willingness of everybody to work their socks off when they don't have the ball - to get back into their position and make it difficult for the opposition.

"They are all key ingredients if you want to have a successful team, and now they are pretty settled in terms of selection, too.

"Liverpool are really organised defensively and if Manchester United don't get hold of whoever plays off Daniel Sturridge - Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling or Adam Lallana - at Anfield on Sunday, they will have a hard game in front of them.

"That is why I'm predicting a Liverpool win - and I don't think United will score either.

"Sunday's result won't be conclusive in terms of who finishes in the top four. But the psychology of winning could be a big factor, though," he added.