Premier League
Liverpool vs Manchester United Preview
Liverpool and Manchester United will face off in a massive clash on Sunday at Anfield as the new year approaches rapidly. Thanks to Manchester City’s slip up last week against Chelsea, Liverpool are sitting a point clear on the top of the table. Manchester United have been struggling all season long and currently sit in 6th place. The two giants of English football will once again go head to head in what is a fierce and longstanding rivalry. Martin Atkinson will officiate this high-octane clash.
Team News
Hosts Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez who has a fractured foot. Other notable absentees include Trent Alexander Arnold and Joel Matip, who has a broken collarbone. This leaves Jurgen Klopp’s options at the back rather limited.
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United have a lengthy injury list. Alexis Sanchez, Chris Smalling, Diogo Dalot, Marcos Rojo and Marcos Rojo are all unavailable. Anthony Martial had also picked up a minor thigh injury. However, he is expected to be in contention for selection.
Ones To Watch
The home support will be delighted due to Mohammed Salah’s great run of form of late. The Egyptian scored a hattrick last weekend and scored the winner against Napoli in midweek. The goal sent Liverpool through to the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Liverpool faithful will also feel safe knowing Allison and Virgil Van Dijk are standing guard in front of the sticks.
The Red Devils need a huge performance from their midfield and attack. Paul Pogba likes to deliver on the big occasions, thus he is certainly one to look out for. United also need their big man up front in Romelu Lukaku to score some goals. He hasn’t had the best season so far but he is always capable of delivering the goods.
Interesting Facts and Prediction
The rivalry between these two clubs is extremely fierce and intense and one that goes back years and years. There are a lot of noteworthy tidbits about this game.
- This will be a staggering 201st meeting between these two teams. Liverpool have won 65 of these encounters, United have won 80 and 55 were draws.
- If United win this game, they will have won consecutive league games against the Merseysiders for the first time since January 2016.
- Liverpool have been unable to beat United in their last 8 Premier League games (D3,L5).
- The last 2 games between these two sides at Anfield have both finished in a 0-0 draw.
- The points gap between Liverpool and United hasn’t been this big before Christmas since December 1990 when United were 16 points behind the Reds.
Considering how solid Liverpool have been this season and especially at home,they will be the more confident side heading into the game. Not to forget they have had a huge morale boost midweek with the Champions League win over Napoli. United on the other hand lost in midweek and have had a rocky season so far. Taking all this into account as well as the home advantage for Liverpool, logically speaking, a Liverpool win is the most likely outcome. But it won’t be easy for either team. The game should be intense and highly contested.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United
Photo credit to Dickson Dagogo via Flickr
