SOCCER:ALEX FERGUSON and Kenny Dalglish has appealed for both fans and players to ensure today's FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Manchester United is memorable only for the quality of football.

The Anfield showdown will be the first time the two sides have met since October, when Patrice Evra made his racism allegations against Luis Suarez.

Although Liverpool’s immediate reactions in the wake of the guilty verdict that led to Suarez being banned for eight matches left United distinctly unimpressed, the Merseyside side have now switched their stance completely and warned supporters any racist abuse will not be tolerated.

However, whether that, and a massive security presence, are enough to take the edge off tensions between the rival sets of fans is open to debate.

The long history of animosity between the supporters even extended to an FA Youth Cup tie at Anfield last season and with over 5,000 fans in attendance, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a section of United’s travelling contingent will look to inflame the situation.

Ferguson has stayed clear of the entire row since his initial confirmation that United would back Evra in whatever action he chose to take.

However, the Scot feels now is the time to try and ensure all the talk is about the game, rather than the obvious issues surrounding it.

“It is a massive game for both clubs,” he said. “There is a tremendous profile on it and will be interest throughout the country. As Steven Gerrard said yesterday, there is a responsibility on the players to behave properly. That is what I expect my players to do. Both sets of fans have got to make sure we are talking about the game and nothing else.”

Earlier this week, Merseyside Police issued their own guidance, insisting they would be: “Firm, fair and friendly, but we will take action where necessary against those individuals who may seek to cause problems or misbehave.”

That followed on from a letter Ferguson sent to United ticket holders, appealing for them to work with the stewards in the stadium to ensure future allocations remain high.

“We have been there this season and our fans were terrific,” he said. “The issue of clubs reducing our travelling support has been going on for quite a while now. It has become a convenient way of selling the hospitality when Manchester United come to town.

“Stewards have a difficult enough job as it is, trying to get supporters to sit down. It never happens.

“You look at every away support in the country, they all stand. The difference, as I have said to our supporters, is make sure you don’t stand in the aisles.

“We should be helping. If they do that, the stewards can get on with their job.”

Ferguson flatly refused to speak directly about Evra, or whether he would play. However, assistant Mike Phelan has already said the stand-in United captain would be available for selection which, given Ferguson’s massive injury list, is hardly a surprise.

The last time United went to Anfield in the FA Cup, they were beaten by a solitary Peter Crouch goal and Alan Smith ended up in hospital with an horrific leg injury.

Ferguson would prefer to remember Eric Cantona’s winner in the 1996 final at Wembley and also the fourth round encounter at Old Trafford in 1999, when his side trailed for 86 minutes, only to eventually emerge victorious thanks to late goals from Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

It is because of the potential for producing such thrilling encounters, which makes Ferguson confident his hopes for a peaceful afternoon will be fulfilled.

“I am confident enough,” he said. “We want to be talking about a game of football. It is a big FA Cup tie.”

Dalglish yesterday declared that Liverpool have their “house in order” ahead of the tie and both clubs have done all they can to prevent further controversy arising.

The Liverpool manager called for supporters to focus solely on football on the match.

Suarez is expected to be at Anfield as he serves the penultimate game of his suspension.

Dalglish described the tension and controversy surrounding the game as “a sideshow”, and believes it will remain secondary to a cup tie between England’s biggest clubs should Liverpool produce a repeat of their impressive performance against Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday on and off the pitch.

He said: “We want the fantastic support we had the other night and there’s no reason to think we’re not going to get that. Anything else is a sideshow for us. We don’t want anyone to lose sight of what it is and we don’t want our supporters to lose sight of how important they are vocally to us.

“We certainly don’t want the players to lose sight of the competitiveness in the game. We have to compete and do things properly and it’s the same for the supporters.

“They have been magnificent throughout our history and I am sure they will continue to do that.”