Jurgen Klopp amid Manchester United vs Liverpool protest plans: 'We get the points'

Jurgen Klopp feels that Liverpool should be awarded three points if his team's game against Manchester United is called off as a result of fan protests.

The Reds travel to Old Trafford on Monday night, and there are fears of a repeat of the unsavoury scenes which caused the same fixture in May 2021 to be rearranged.

Back then, despite the game being scheduled to take place behind closed doors due to the pandemic, United supporters gathered outside the stadium in their thousands to voice their discontent with the club's owners, the Glazers.

A small number managed to force their way into the ground and onto the pitch – ultimately leading to the game being postponed.

Protests are planned ahead of Monday's clash, which United, having lost their opening two matches of the season, must win to avoid making their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign.

And Klopp – whose side have drawn their first two league games of 2022-23 – couldn't have made his thoughts much clearer on the potential for a repeat situation. Speaking in the build up to the hotly-anticipated encounter, he said:

"Plans for the game not happening? Yes, going home on the bus.

"I really hope it will not happen, but if it does happen, I think we get the points.

"We have nothing to do with the situation and if the supporters want the game not happening, we cannot just rearrange the game again and fit it in somewhere in an incredibly busy season.

"People tell us we are fine: we go there and play the game, hopefully, and go home. But in a situation like this, always the other team should get the points because they have nothing to do with it and they have prepared for [the game]."

Liverpool won the rescheduled match in 2021 4-2 – but not without having their team bus blocked by cars en route to Old Trafford.

Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag – who will want to see a radically improved performance from his players after last weekend's 4-0 loss at Brentford – has also been having his say on the expected fan demonstrations. He said:

"I can only say the owners want to win – and the fans, we want them behind the club.

"I can understand sometimes, but I am not that long in the club that I can see all the backgrounds – but we have to be unified and fight together."