Man. United v Liverpool background

Manchester United FC will look to make up for a shaky first-leg performance as they welcome eternal rivals Liverpool FC in their UEFA Europa League round of 16 decider.

Previous meetings
• United lost 2-0 at Anfield in the sides' first UEFA competition encounter, goalkeeper David de Gea standing between them and a more substantial loss.

• The sides have met in 166 domestic league games (United 67-55 ahead in terms of wins) and 18 times in various domestic cup competitions (United 11-7 ahead in victories).

• United have won their last four Premier League fixtures against Liverpool since a humiliating 3-0 home defeat in March 2014.

• United's eight matches against English teams in Europe have ended W5 D1 L2 (W3 D0 L0 in Manchester – W2 D0 L2 away). Those games include a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, which they won on penalties on neutral territory in Moscow.

• Liverpool's 17 encounters with domestic rivals in UEFA competition have ended W5 D7 L5 (W5 D3 L1 at home – W0 D4 L4 away).

• United have won all of their UEFA home games against English sides; Liverpool have yet to win away against English rivals in a European game.

Form guide
• United are unbeaten in ten European home games (W8 D2), and have recovered from a 2-0 away defeat to win a European tie more than once, perhaps most notably beating FC Barcelona 3-0 at Old Trafford in the 1983/84 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals after a 2-0 first-leg loss.

• Liverpool kept a fourth successive clean sheet in the first leg – one more in the second leg and they will match SSC Napoli’s UEFA Europa League record for successive games without conceding.

• Liverpool – along with AC Sparta Praha, SS Lazio and round of 32 entrants FC Shakhtar Donetsk – are the only surviving sides yet to lose in this season's UEFA Europa League proper. The Reds have drawn five of their nine games since matchday one, more than any other side in the competition.

• United last competed in the UEFA Europa League in 2011/12, getting to the round of 16. The UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League is the only major UEFA trophy the Red Devils have not won – they reached the 1984/85 quarter-finals in their most successful campaign.

• Liverpool lost to Beşiktaş JK on penalties in last year's round of 32 and to FC Zenit at the same stage of their previous UEFA Europa League appearance, in 2012/13. The 1973, 1976 and 2001 UEFA Cup winners last made it to the round of 16 in 2010/11, eliminating Sparta before bowing out to SC Braga.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Anfield to Old Trafford is around 45km.

• Should United triumph in the UEFA Europa League this term, they would become just the fifth club to have landed all three major UEFA trophies (European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) after AFC Ajax, FC Bayern München, Juventus and Chelsea. Liverpool can never join this club since they never lifted the Cup Winners' Cup.

• Liverpool's achievements in Europe are superior to United's: they have won five European Cups to United's three, and three UEFA Cups to United's none, as well as three UEFA Super Cups to United's one. United, however, have captured the Cup Winners' Cup and European/South American Cup – which Liverpool never have, and never will.

• United's domestic successes eclipse Liverpool's: they are 20-18 up in terms of English titles, and 11-7 ahead when it comes to FA Cups – though Liverpool have picked up eight League Cups to United's four.

• United's Ashley Young and Liverpool's James Milner were team-mates at Aston Villa FC from 2008–10.

• Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge and United's Juan Mata were together at Chelsea from 2011–13.

• The last all-English UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League tie was Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 1972/73 semi-finals. The Reds prevailed on away goals.

• This game is taking place on St Patrick's Day – significant since these are arguably the two best-supported English clubs among Irish fans.

The coaches
• United manager since summer 2014, Louis van Gaal won the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League as Ajax coach, as well as domestic titles with FC Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern München, and led the Netherlands to a third-place finish at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

• Jürgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager last October. His Dortmund team won the Bundesliga in 2010/11, scooped a double the next campaign and lost to Bayern München in the 2013 UEFA Champions League final.

Penalty shoot-outs
• United's record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
L 5-4 A v Videoton FC (1984/85 UEFA Cup quarter-finals)
L 4-3 A v FC Torpedo Moskva (1992/93 UEFA Cup first round)
W 6-5 N v Chelsea FC (2007/08 UEFA Champions League final)

• Liverpool's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W3 L1:
W 4-2 N v AS Roma (1983/84 European Champion Clubs' Cup final)
W 3-2 N v AC Milan (2004/05 UEFA Champions League final)
W 4-1 H v Chelsea FC (2006/07 UEFA Champions League semi-finals)
L 5-4 A v Beşiktaş JK (2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 32)