"I didn't set out to offend anyone," Owen explained.
"What I said was, in terms of support, revenue and stadium, Man United are probably the biggest in the world but Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are up there with them in other areas.
"In saying that, I'm sure things I've said at different times over the last 20 years will be dredged up and turned into back-page stories over the next two weeks.
"I've been back before with Newcastle a couple of times, so I've played there for an opposing team, but I'm certainly looking forward to this game.
"It will be different, it'll be a bit noisier.
"As usual between United and Liverpool, it'll be a competitive game between two of the world's top teams.
"The teams are more equally matched perhaps than when I went back with Newcastle, so it should be a good game and an exciting day."