Points are what matter most

People are talking about us looking to avenge our last three league defeats to Liverpool today at Old Trafford, but we never go into a game against another team thinking like that.

We have played against each other many times over the years, and we go into each match thinking it will be a hard game that we want to win, rather than thinking about what happened in the past. Previous matches are not on a professional's mind going into games.

Today's match is really important for both teams. Liverpool are in a fight for fourth place with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, and we are battling really hard for the title with Chelsea and Arsenal. Manchester United vs Liverpool is a game that both clubs look out for. There is a great rivalry and I think it is the biggest game of the season in the minds of both clubs.

It is certainly a game both of us will be looking to win. Firstly, it's always great to win against local rivals, but secondly and most importantly, we both desperately need the points. Liverpool need to get up to that fourth spot while we can't afford to make any more mistakes if we want to win the league.

Games against Liverpool are difficult 50-50 games and always have been. We are happy to be at home and have to try and use that to our advantage, but it's difficult to call the outcome before the match.

Midfield has always been an important area in football, but it is becoming more so in the modern game, and both teams will be looking to come out on top in midfield today. It will be a crucial area of the match in terms of making sure we don't get outnumbered, making sure we are strong and we pick up the second balls and control the tempo and possession.

If you look back over the years, sometimes the results in these games have gone to form but sometimes they haven't. I always think it goes in cycles, with us coming out on top for a few years, and them doing the same.

Recently they have been quite successful against us in league games, but we have to change it today. That is not just for local bragging rights, but because we desperately need the points to maintain our challenge for the championship.

We absolutely need our fans today and they will be up for this match. With eight games to go, everything is at stake, and we have Liverpool at home and Chelsea at home still to come. Although these are big games in their own right every season, when we're going for the championship they take on even greater significance.

We want to maintain the momentum we have gained in the last two-to-three weeks and there is nothing like winning big matches to do that. Winning this type of game would give us great confidence and spirit, but we are aware there will be another team in front of us feeling exactly the same way.

Champions League

We have been drawn against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final of the Champions League and I think it is one of the toughest draws we could have got. Bayern are a great side in Europe, with fantastic history and quality players.

To get to the European Cup final we have to get past these teams. We had a tough draw in the last round against AC Milan and we overcame them. When we get to the last eight teams it is a free draw and there are no seeds, so we expect it to be tough.

The two stand-out players for Bayern are the wide players - Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben. We know a lot about Robben from his time in England with Chelsea, while Ribery has a great reputation and has done very well for France, Bayern and Marseille.

In the last game against AC Milan we had to deal with the threats of Pato, Ronaldinho, David Beckham and Marco Borriello, so we know that whichever team we play at this stage of the Champions League will have great players who can hurt us if we don't attend to them.

We are happy to have the second leg at Old Trafford; it worked well for us in the game against AC Milan. Our form at Old Trafford has been very good this season and we are always confident there. But the key tie is always the away leg and we have to go there first and get a good result, because the home leg can sometimes be a disaster if you don't get a good result away.

Becks will be back

I think everyone was disappointed for David Beckham last week when he picked up the injury that looks set to rule him out of the World Cup. He has done so much to be part of this World Cup and he has been part of all of England's qualifying games and all the squads.

I watched the game in which he got injured and it seemed initially that he'd just turned his ankle a little bit, but obviously the news was far worse and it looks like he will miss the tournament. It happened to me in 2002 so I know how it feels.

It's difficult to comprehend because you play all your life to take part in World Cups and they only come around every four years, yet it is taken out of your hands. I think everyone feels for him.

Knowing Beckham I have no doubt he will rehabilitate himself in a professional manner, work as hard as he possibly can and I'm sure he will be back playing football within a few months. Sadly, it looks like he won't be back in time for the World Cup, but I believe he will be playing football again at the highest level next season. It is the timing of the injury that is the killer.

It will be a big loss for England because he offers something different from the other players in that position. When he came on against us for AC Milan a few weeks ago, he showed that he offers absolute 100 per cent guaranteed quality when he is on the ball.

He had been used from the bench as an impact player for England over the past few months, and you see when he comes on that the quality of his deliveries and passes can really make a difference in the last 25 minutes of a game. And when he is needed to start a match, he has great experience and has the ability to be able to control and affect a game.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesof malta.com.