The Reds defender is backing their rivals from up the East Lancs Road to crack under the pressure...

Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel thinks that the pressure exerted by him and his team-mates on Manchester United will be too much for the Red Devils to handle, and Liverpool's 19-year-long drought for the league title will come to an end this season..

Liverpool mauled their rivals 4-1 at Old Trafford a week and a half ago, and United slipped up again when they were beaten 2-0 in west London at the weekend by Fulham. Skrtel is sure that there will be further errors from Alex Ferguson's men as the season's end nears and the pressure grows ever more intense.

"I think yes, because there are eight games left or so," he told deniksport.cz.

"They are also in the UEFA Champions League. A lot of points are still up for grabs, and although they have a match against Portsmouth in hand, they will not have it easy against them.

"I just hope that we will stay in-form, they will slip-up and we will jump over them in the table."

The Slovak also feels that his club manager Rafa Benitez deserves much of the credit for Liverpool's more sustained title challenge this year, and hailed the effect the Spaniard has had on his personal game, adding, "It is good for us players as well as for the fans and the whole club, because Benitez has done a great piece of work during his time at Liverpool.

"He is enormously popular here and I think that he is a coach of great qualities. He has also helped me personally.

"He has taught me a lot. Thanks to him we work a lot on tactics and game discipline. I have improved in both aspects."

Liverpool thrashed Aston Villa 5-0 at the weekend, a result many felt has ended the Midlanders push for a top four finish. The Villans face United next though and Skrtel did not rule Martin O'Neill's men out from still having a vital part to play in the destination of this season's Premier League crown.

He concluded, "It will not be an easy game for them. Aston Villa are still aiming for a Champions League spot and will not give them anything easy.

"We will see. It would be great if they could play better than against us and steal a point or three from United."

- Goal.com