A 'huge security presence' in place as Manchester United fans plan second protest

The Times' Paul Hirst reports that there will be a high-security presence at Old Trafford for Manchester United vs. Liverpool after protests forced the game to be rescheduled two weeks ago.

The report reads: "A huge security presence will be in place at Old Trafford tonight and for Tuesday’s match against Fulham as Manchester United try to prevent a repeat of the chaos that caused their match against Liverpool to be called off.

"Another protest has been planned for about two hours before kick-off but GMP will flood the forecourt area with officers in front of the East Stand to try to stop fans from storming the ground for a second time. The extra barriers that were installed outside the Munich Tunnel before the game against Leicester City on Tuesday remain in place."

The hope is that the game will not be interrupted in any way as there is little room to find a day to reschedule it for a second time with the Premier League season set to finish in 10 days.

As we covered earlier this morning, Liverpool seem to be the ones punished for United fans protesting against their owners.

This evening's clash provides the Reds with a monumental opportunity to claw back some important ground in the race to finish inside the top four.

Currently, the Premier League table doesn't make for pretty viewing, with Liverpool seven points behind Chelsea and nine behind Brendan Rodgers' Leicester City.

They have two games in hand over each side but there is no room for error and in order for Liverpool to make it four seasons in a row they've qualified for the Champions League, they will need to win their last four games.

Thiago scored his first goal for the club to help his side to a 2-0 win over Southampton at the weekend.

The Spaniard and his teammates will need to be right at it this evening to secure a win over United.