Liverpool look to continue their unbeaten Premier League start at Anfield, with Newcastle the visitors this weekend.
Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying side have won all four of their league matches so far and currently sit pretty at the top of the table, two points ahead of defending champions Manchester City.
Steve Bruce's side are 14th in the Premier League table, with a point against Watford following their impressive victory at Tottenham after beginning the season with two defeats. Follow live coverage below.
Mourinho parted company with United in December after two and a half years at the helm during which the club finished sixth and then a distant second behind derby rivals City, winning three trophies, but failing to reap the rewards of heavy investment in the squad.
City and Liverpool fought out a two-horse race last season with the men from Old Trafford once again crossing the line in sixth place, the former claiming the title and the latter the Champions League crown.
Asked to explain the reasons for their current dominance, the Portuguese told the Telegraph: "I think the structure of the clubs.
"When you look at City, for example: the owner, Ferran Soriano [chief executive], Txiki Begiristain [director of football], Pep Guardiola, Pep's staff and then the players. This looks like harmony, empathy, chemistry, quality, sharing the same project, sharing the same ideas.
"Liverpool? I also think that Jurgen [Klopp] is in a good position. He is very stable. I think he has control of his 'areas'. He is supported by people who think the same way, the structure of the club.
"Okay, Pep: fantastic coach. Jurgen: fantastic coach. I think if tomorrow one of them leaves and another top coach comes - of course he has to be top like they are - the team will still be there [at that level]. I think performance is globality. I think basically it is that."
Steve Bruce will be reunited with with one of his best signings and the one that got away when he takes Newcastle to Liverpool today.
The Reds will have Bruce's former Hull full-back Andy Robertson among their ranks at Anfield, as well as Virgil Van Dijk, a man he, along with a host of rivals, attempted to capture before he left Celtic for Southampton.
Asked about his £2.85million swoop for Scotland skipper Robertson in July 2014, he said: "Stan Ternent, my chief scout at the time, said 'I've just seen this kid at Dundee United - we've got to take him'.
"We did our homework. I went to see him and we took him. It was a little bit of a gamble. I remember him arriving with his mum holding her hand!
"To be fair to him, we had a couple of injuries and I threw him in. He went in at left-back and had an unbelievable debut against QPR. He hasn't looked back, has he? He's been quite remarkable."
But if Bruce succeeded in landing Robertson, he was less successful when he attempted to buy Van Dijk.
He said: "I had dinner with Kenny Dalglish and the owner of Celtic, Dermot Desmond, in Barbados - I'm name-dropping now - and the owner of Celtic was waxing lyrical about the best players he's had.
"He was saying, '[Henrik] Larsson is definitely, definitely the best player that I've seen play for Celtic in my ownership', and what he said is, 'What I can't understand is, nobody has gone for Van Dijk'.
"I thought, 'That's interesting, he's seen a lot of football over the last 12 years', so I went and we tried. I tried to get him before he went to Southampton."
Asked what the price was for the man who later arrived at Liverpool in a £75million deal, he answered: "About £10million, £12million. I was nowhere near getting him. I tried, but I had no chance."
Meanwhile, Bruce revealed how he still gets excited when he visits the homes of English football's big boys after taking his wife to watch games in London when he played at Gillingham.
He said with a smile: "How she's still with me after 36 years... Night out, it was, 'Come on, we'll go and watch Arsenal and have a kebab on the way home'."
Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff will miss today's match after suffering a "freak" training-ground injury, it was confirmed yesterday.
The 21-year-old, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise since making his top-flight debut as a substitute at Anfield on Boxing Day last year, damaged an ankle blocking a cross during Thursday's session.
He is currently being assessed, leaving head coach Steve Bruce once again bemoaning his luck.
Bruce said: "It's one of those awful ones. He goes to stop a cross and gets his ankle caught. It's one of those freak ones that unfortunately happen.
"You come off the pitch and we're all disappointed. We've lost a player to a freak accident, but that's what happens in football. Sometimes, you miss out."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted at his press conference yesterday that he still does not know when first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be available.
The Brazilian, who played a major role in the Reds' success last term, injured his calf in their first Premier League game of the season against Norwich last month.
Klopp remains hopeful he could return after next month's international break, but told a press conference on Friday: "He's improving but we cannot put any pressure on it.
"It was a really serious injury in the calf and it's now much better. That's good for us and good for him but we don't know exactly.
"The target was always after the next international break he could be ready but we don't know. Hopefully everything will be fine for the rest of the season, that's the plan."
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have been lauded by legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi for their “duty” to excite the public with their brand of football.
The Liverpool and Manchester City managers inspired a relentless title race last season with expansive football on display.
And Sacchi, one of the innovators of the game who inspired back-to-back Champions League titles with AC Milan, sees parallels in his brand of football.
“Their football is similar to mine and I really appreciate their values, culture and mentality. My Milan team innovated, the teams of Guardiola and Klopp continue to innovate,” Sacchi told the Mail.
Read more:
"We could have made more changes but we need the rhythm as well and it makes not too much sense. A lot of games are coming up.
"We did it with all, we respect Newcastle too much for rotating for rotating. We really want to have the best starting line-up we can have for the specific opponent and that's what we thought is the right one.
"We could train with that group since Wednesday or so and that helps; OK, Fabinho came in a bit late but with all the others we could train since Wednesday. So that's good and that's what we try to use."
"We are going to the European champions and they are as good a team as you will ever play against, so we'll have to defend well.
"It's always been a big fixture and you want to go there and take them on. It's what we're in it for. The core of the squad have been together a couple of years and they're a really honest and genuine group.
"When you've got that, you're capable of doing anything. They've gone to Spurs and won and they beat Man City last year, so they've got it in them."
"It won't be easy. People expect it, probably, but I am really impressed by the solutions they have found so far."
Match preview:
How can I watch?
BT Sport will be broadcasting the game on BT Sport 1, with coverage beginning at 12pm.
Can I stream the game online?
With a BT Sport subscription you can stream the match from your phone or tablet with the BT Sport app.
When is it?
The match is Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off
It gets underway at 12.30pm.
Odds
- Liverpool 2/13
- Newcastle 20/1
- Draw 8/1
Match prediction?
While Tottenham failed to unlock a well-built Newcastle defence, Liverpool should have too much quality and creativity for Steve Bruce’s side.
A 3-0 home win is our prediction.
