GEORGE GILLETT is prepared to brave a hostile atmosphere by attending tomorrow’s Premier League showdown with Manchester United.

The Liverpool co-owner is expected to take his place in the directors’ box for the lunchtime clash with the Old Trafford outfit.

It would be Gillett’s first public appearance on Merseyside since he visited for the last home game against Manchester United nine months ago.

The Anfield club yesterday refused to confirm or deny whether Gillett will be present.

But his possible presence would coincide with fans group Spirit of Shankly staging a major demonstration and march against Gillett and fellow owner Tom Hicks.

The catalyst for the latest protest was the announcement that construction of the proposed new stadium on Stanley Park will be delayed by at least a year due to financial problems faced by the pair.

Such off-field activities threaten to once again overshadow Liverpool’s latest attempt to score a first Premier League victory over United under Rafael Benitez.

No Liverpool player has even scored in the fixture since Danny Murphy’s winning penalty at Old Trafford in April 2004.

And Jamie Carragher reckons the Anfield outfit haven’t merited victory during that barren period.

“I’m not a great believer in being lucky or unlucky,” he said. “I’m a big believer in ‘you get what you deserve’.

“United over the last few years have probably edged it with us and small details in football make a difference. That’s why they’ve been better than us and that’s something we need to liven up.

“Hopefully we can get the three points and that will give us a bit of confidence for the season ahead.”

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres could yet recover from their respective groin and hamstring injuries to start tomorrow, although the final decision will rest with Benitez.

Andrea Dossena, meanwhile, has been backed to overcome an indifferent start to his Liverpool career by producing the form that has forced his way back into the Italy side.

Dossena, who was 27 yesterday, played the full 90 minutes as Marcelo Lippi’s side beat Georgia 2-0 in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

And Benitez said: “It is good for Dossena to play for his national team because it will give him more confidence.

“We are happy with him because we know that he is a good player and he is working hard but we also know that he can get better.

“He has done okay so far and he performed well in our last game at Aston Villa, but there is still more to come.

“It is not easy to come to a new country to play for a new club and to get used to their system, but Dossena is keen to learn and he will get better with more games and more time.”