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The interview is punctuated by a handful of requests for selfies and supporters keen to inform Simon Mignolet about what’s at stake.

“Make sure you beat them on Sunday,” urges one retired gentleman.

A middle aged woman then plucks up the courage to venture over from a nearby table to ask for a photo and says: “Good luck, don’t let any goals in against United. We need a win.”

The setting is a coffee shop in Warrington. Anfield is 19 miles to the west, Old Trafford 18 miles to the east.

Mignolet, who lives nearby with his wife Jasmien, didn’t need any reminding about the significance of Sunday afternoon’s showdown between English football’s two most successful clubs.

“I live right between the two cities,” he told the ECHO.

“I have neighbours who are Liverpool fans and neighbours who are United fans. My missus works in Knutsford so she’s close to Manchester.

“You feel what it means to both sets of supporters. I remember the scenes when we knocked them out of the Europa League at Old Trafford last season.

“That’s what you live for as a football player – those kind of moments. You want to be part of occasions like that.

“This is a special game. It’s different to the rivalry with Everton as you get Reds and Blues in the same family.

“Liverpool v United is more bitter. The hatred is more like the Tyne-Wear derbies I played in.”

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Loris Karius may have shone in the midweek EFL Cup defeat at Southampton but Mignolet is expected to return to action against Jose Mourinho’s side.

The Belgium international has hardly put a foot wrong since he regained his No 1 status last month following Karius’ slump in form.

In five Premier League matches, Mignolet has kept three clean sheets. Of the three goals he’s conceded, two were penalties.

“It’s not only those last five games, ever since the start of the season I think I’ve played well,” Mignolet said.

“My form was good in all those big away games we played at the start of the season and also in the League Cup games when I was out the team.

“I’m actually happy with how my season has gone so far. The strange thing is that I spent a lot of time sitting on the bench.

“But rather than looking back, I just need to continue to do the right things over and over again.”

Mignolet was devastated to be dropped by Jurgen Klopp back in September.

Once Karius had fully recovered from the broken hand he suffered in pre-season, the £4.7million summer signing from Mainz was picked ahead of him.

It was harsh on Mignolet and the following three months were tough. A sense of injustice lingered, but to his credit he knuckled down and vowed to force his way back in.

“It wasn’t easy. I’m at a stage in my career where I want to play every game,” he said.

“He said in a press conference that the change of keeper was down to his gut feeling. You think ‘how do I change that?’

“If you have to sit on the bench, it’s easy to get down and frustrated. But I am very happy with the way I reacted to it. I didn’t do anything stupid.

“My character is to stay calm. Sometimes people say I am too laid back or too soft, but I think my character helped in this situation. By keeping a cool head I’ve shown you can come back stronger.

“I didn’t throw the toys out of the pram. I just looked at what I could do better and worked hard to get back in the team.

“Luckily, I had the League Cup games and I played for Belgium against Holland so that helped keep my match fitness up.

“I have to thank (Belgium boss) Roberto Martinez. He visited me twice during that time when I was on the bench to support me and see how things were going.

“He knows that I am a very important figure in the dressing room for Belgium. Even though I wasn’t playing for Liverpool, he picked me and showed confidence in me.”

Was there a time during his spell on the sidelines when he feared that he was finished at Liverpool?

“Some people within my close environment were thinking that but I didn’t,” he insisted.

“I don’t give up. I’ve never given up on anything. I’ve been in that situation before.

“Brendan Rodgers put me out of the team two years ago. In my first year at Sunderland I was playing and then they went and signed Keiren Westwood.

“When I was in Belgium as a young boy I lost my place in the team to a more experienced keeper. I always look to fight back.

“The hardest part of being on the bench was that I knew I could help the team by speaking to the defence and organising a few things – making sure the line is high enough. I’ll be 29 in March. I have the experience and the leadership to talk to them.”

Mignolet’s shot stopping ability has never been in doubt but since returning to the fold he has looked much more commanding and decisive.

“I’ve become a lot calmer,” he said. “I don’t get frustrated by the little things in football any more.

“Even when things go wrong and you make a mistake, stay calm. I look more at my own job rather than trying to think about anything else.”

He was certainly the calmest man inside Anfield on New Year’s Eve when he raced out of his penalty box and nonchalantly lifted the ball over Sergio Aguero.

Mignolet said: “Exactly! My family were over visiting and said to me ‘what were you doing?’

“When I looked back at it I thought the same! But in the heat of the moment I felt in control of it.”

Karius lost his place after a series of costly blunders but his performance at St Mary’s on Wednesday suggested that his battered confidence has been repaired.

Now it’s Karius on a mission to force his way back in. There’s pressure on Mignolet to keep on delivering but he’s embracing that challenge.

“It’s a good thing. Every time when there’s been competition in my career I’ve got stronger,” he added.

“It’s important to have that, especially at a big club like Liverpool.

“Loris played well at Southampton. But it’s not that I feel like I have to prove something now.

“Maybe a few years back I’d have been thinking ‘one mistake and I could be out’ but I don’t think like that any more.

“I just think about my own performance and how I can help the team.

“Last year I signed a contract for five and a half years. That says it all. I am here to be No 1 and I want to stay here.”