da 888casino： The Premier League returns with a bang this weekend in the form of the North West derby which, despite the rises of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, remains the biggest and most anticipated fixture on the English top-flight calendar.
da brdice： Indeed, Liverpool and Manchester United may lack the trophy-laden success of yesteryear but their rivalry spans the globe and remains as fierce as ever, especially with just five points separating them in the Premier League table as both sides look to claim Champions League qualification at a bare minimum this season.
The reverse fixture in October wasn’t exactly a riveting affair, as somewhat draconian tactics saw Jose Mourinho’s side grind out a scoreless draw at Anfield.
But the roles are slightly reversed this time around, with United boasting home advantage and a strong run of form in the Premier League. That, coupled with Klopp’s insistence upon attacking football, is setting up for an entertaining, high-stakes clash at Old Trafford this Sunday.
But how will both sides line up? Could injuries and suspensions scupper their performances? Where will be the match lost and won? And what do the managers have to say for themselves? We answer those questions, and many more, in FootballFanCast’s all-in-one preview pack!
Betting odds & form guide
SKYBET odds
Man United win 21/20 – Liverpool win 13/5
Draw – 12/5
The bookies are backing a Manchester United win and based on recent results, it’s not hard to see why. Indeed, whilst Liverpool’s title-chasing form has petered out in recent weeks, going three games without victory across all competitions, United are amid a nine-game winning run – including a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. So in addition to boasting home advantage, the Red Devils certainly enter Sunday’s clash in better confidence and seemingly finer tuned.
A look at the last six meetings at Old Trafford doesn’t give Reds fans much hope either. As you can see above, courtesy of Whoscored, Liverpool have taken just four points in that time, leaving United’s ground empty-handed on four occasions. In the process, they’ve managed just half the amount of goals and one more yellow card. In fact, Liverpool’s only victory came in 2014, when a Nemanja Vidic red card reduced the Red Devils to ten men.
SkyBet odds.
Injuries and suspensions
According to our mates at PhysioRoom, five players could miss out of the North West derby through injury this weekend. But in real terms, Jurgen Klopp’s selection shouldn’t be affected too much – Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip have both returned to full training according to The Liverpool Echo and are likely to feature against the Red Devils, whilst the other three absences – Marko Grujic, Adam Bogdan and Danny Ings – make the most marginal of dents in Liverpool’s squad depth. The biggest loss, however, is winger Sadio Mane, who is on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations – he’s their top scorer in the Premier League with nine goals.
Manchester United, meanwhile, boast pretty much a clean bill of health with the exception of centre-back Marcos Rojo. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be expected to overcome his ailment for such a pivotal game and James Wilson started the season out on loan, so it’s safe to assume he wouldn’t have been involved in this game anyway. However, much like Mane, Mourinho will be without centre-back Eric Bailly, who is representing the Ivory Coast at AFCON.
Likely Starting XIs
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After spending the opening months of the season trawling through his options in pretty much every department, Mourinho appears to have decided upon his preferred formula in most positions. The midfield trio of Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera is now pretty much a guarantee, whilst David De Gea, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Phil Jones are amongst the first names on the team-sheet these days.
The only real areas of controversy are at left-back, with Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian sharing the role in recent weeks, and on the wings. Most United fans would like to see Henrikh Mkhitaryan start, but considering Juan Mata’s impressive form of late and consistent returns against top six opposition, we’re tipping him to start on the right. Anthony Martial, who appears back to somewhere near his best, should begin the match on the opposing flank.
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Liverpool, meanwhile, look set to return to something closely resembling Klopp’s preferred XI with the exception of the absent Sadio Mane. That could actually work out in Liverpool’s favour, however, with Adam Lallana moving forward to recreate the front three that famously punished Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last season and in turn allowing the considerably more beefy Emre Can to add some bulk and box-to-box dynamism to the engine room.
That would see Roberto Firmino take up his false nine role and Philippe Coutinho return to the left flank – a position where he’s caused real havoc for United down the years. The only contentious selection is in goal. Simon Mignolet’s taken the mantle in the Premier League but Loris Karius impressed against Southampton in the midweek EFL Cup action.
The Key Battle – Pogba vs. Henderson
After shaking off the inevitable criticisms that accompanied his world-record price-tag, Paul Pogba has really come into his own in recent months, pulling the strings in midfield, providing great power and pace on the break and regularly latching onto shooting opportunities in-and-around the box.
The difficult task of stopping him, therefore, is likely to fall to Jordan Henderson, who has excelled in a slightly deeper role this season. Instead of expending his energy pushing forward, the England international has used his stamina to sprint from side-to-side, helping snuff out counter-attacks before effectively distributing the ball.
But this is by no means a one-way street; Pogba will have some serious work to do as well. Henderson’s the man who keeps Liverpool’s midfield ticking over and often dictates the direction of attack with his range of passing. Just as Henderson will have to match Pogba physically, the Frenchman will have to close down the Reds skipper to curtail his influence on the ball in deep positions.
Word from the managers
Jose Mourinho on Man United support…
“It’s a special match for us. If we play enthusiastic football the fans come to the pitch and play with us. When we don’t play with great intensity it is normal that the fans are not so vocal.
“But we have absolutely amazing fans, fans who push us and get behind us. Everybody likes big games – players, managers, fans. Everyone loves big matches so let’s go for that one on Sunday.”
Klopp on performance vs Southampton…
“After the goal we conceded our reaction was not good. We were not compact enough. We can do much better. It was open and open games are difficult. Loris [Karius] had to save us a few times. We should have been clearer in our passing.”