Rafael Benítez likes to be seen as a man of actions rather than words, but, on the eve of a big game, he can occasionally be persuaded to talk the talk. Not content with likening Javier Mascherano to a young Roy Keane, the Liverpool manager has stated that he has a team capable of winning at Old Trafford tomorrow, thus ending a wretched run of results at the hands of Manchester United.

In seven league meetings with United under Benítez, Liverpool have won a solitary point and scored only one goal - and even that was an own goal, scored by John O'Shea in their first encounter at Old Trafford in September 2004. There has been an inferiority complex about some of their performances against United - with Tom Hicks, the club's American co-owner, saying after the 1-0 defeat at Anfield in December that “our team played like they mentally didn't think they were good enough to win” - but Benítez insists that will not be in evidence tomorrow.

“We are better equipped now,” he said. “We have players who can change the game, like Torres, Gerrard, Babel, Kuyt and Alonso, players who can score goals. In the past, you could have a plan going to Old Trafford, but in the end you didn't have enough power. They have Rooney, Ronaldo and Tévez, all match-winners, but now we have two or three players who can do the same thing.”

The most obvious of those is Fernando Torres, whose form has been every bit as spectacular as that of Cristiano Ronaldo, but Benítez believes that the less heralded Mascherano has been equally influential in Liverpool's run of seven consecutive wins in all competitions. The Argentinian, 23, offers relatively little threat going forward, a rare goal against Reading last week notwithstanding, but, whatever Sir Alex Ferguson's confidence in Owen Hargreaves or Michael Carrick, few would disagree with Benítez's contention that Mascherano is the outstanding defensive midfield player in the Barclays Premier League.

“In terms of winning a game with a single action, that's not really his role,” Benítez said. “But in giving us balance, he is key and his workrate is fantastic. He could be like Roy Keane. He is the same kind of player, a player with strong character, a leader.”