The club is spending £80 million to increase capacity from 7,000 to 61,000 seats.

Its opening was postponed until 2024 because Liverpool switched contractors to Rayner Rowen Group following Buckingham Group’s bankruptcy.

The Reds anticipate that approximately half of the upper tier will be open for the United match, subject to safety permission.

That would also apply to games against West Ham United, Arsenal, and Newcastle United later in December.

“The upper tier of the new stand will be partially open for the upcoming fixture against Manchester United on 17 December, with several thousand general admission seats expected to be available to supporters,” according to a press release from Liverpool.

“This is subject to an internal emergency conditions test managed in collaboration with Liverpool City Council, as well as a public test event, which is scheduled for the week beginning December 11.”

“This latest development comes sooner than expected, following Buckingham Group’s administration in September, and demonstrates the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in this complex and ambitious construction project.”

“There is still more work to be completed before the stand can be fully operational and able to welcome 61,000 fans to Anfield on a matchday.”

The project was supposed to be finished before the start of the 2023-24 season.

However, supporters have only used the lower deck of the stand so far this season, reducing the stadium’s capacity to 50,000.