'Do or die' - Erik ten Hag sends Manchester United message ahead of Liverpool FA Cup tie

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has described this afternoon's FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool as a 'do or die' occasion.

United enter the clash with the Merseyside outfit knowing the FA Cup represents their last opportunity to win a trophy this season. The Reds' top four hopes are still hanging in the balance, meaning winning the FA Cup could represent their only chance to deem this campaign a success.

However, United must get the better of a Liverpool side who are still in contention to win four trophies this season. They won the Carabao Cup at Wembley last month and are still pushing for the Premier League title and the Europa League in addition to the FA Cup.

READ MORE: United vs Liverpool LIVE

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag makes Mason Mount prediction

Ten Hag, speaking ahead of kick-off, told MUTV: "The cup is always great. It is do or die in a fixture like United-Liverpool. They are strong rivals.

"We are really looking forward [to it] and are so excited to go into this game. We are on a good run and we want to continue this run."

Ahead of kick-off, United have been rocked by the loss of Casemiro to a recurring hamstring injury. However, Ten Hag has welcomed Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Rasmus Hojlund back into the starting line-up this afternoon, while Harry Maguire and Mason Mount have made the bench.

"It has been our story all season - a lot of injuries," Ten Hag continued. "But as a squad you have to deal with it. I thought in the autumn we had some problems and we had to deal with it to get the right results in.

"But after New Year, we dealt with it, players came out, other players came in, and we kept going to get the results. We scored in every game after January. As a team, we also defended very good