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Premier League – Liverpool vs. Manchester United: Manchester United, forced to revisit the agonising memories of the seven-goal massacre from the previous season, travels briefly to Merseyside to play Liverpool on Sunday in front of an expected record-breaking Anfield crowd.
Up to 57,000 spectators are anticipated for this weekend’s main Premier League match, where the two titans will be looking to make up for some blunders they made throughout the week.
A portion of Liverpool’s Anfield Road Stand will officially open for business on Sunday, one month earlier than anticipated, after a successful test event on Monday.
The hosts are hoping to welcome the most spectators they have welcomed since Bill Shankly’s era in 1973 and the most in the Premier League era overall.
With the exception of the Merseyside derby, the Liverpool hierarchy could hardly have asked for a more tantalising match to smash their attendance record—especially in light of their recent performance against Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp’s team enters the historic match on Sunday atop the Premier League ladder.
When Jean-Philippe Mateta put Crystal Palace ahead from the penalty spot last weekend, it looked like the midday misery would continue.
However, Mohamed Salah’s 200th goal for the Reds and a superb Harvey Elliott winner saw Liverpool complete another iconic comeback. Klopp and 12.30pm kickoffs are hardly a match made in heaven.
The Reds may have dropped to the bronze medal position by the time the whistle blows at Anfield because Liverpool enters gameweek 17 with a one-point lead over the Gunners and a two-point cushion over the Lions, both of whom are in action at 2pm. This is due to Arsenal’s defeat against Aston Villa later in the day.
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Liverpool’s experimental team, which included academy and fringe players, lost 2-1 to Union SG in the Europa League on Thursday.
However, the result was inconsequential because they already guaranteed a spot in the round of 16, and their seven-game winning streak in the Premier League at home makes for very enjoyable reading for supporters of the club, who have also scored at least twice in each of those victories.
For their underwhelming opponents, who also suffered a one-goal European loss in midweek—albeit a far more depressing one since they were eliminated from the continental conversation entirely—it would not hurt to borrow an attacking strategy from Liverpool.
Erik ten Hag’s team failed to qualify for the Europa League after losing to Kingsley Coman’s goal, finishing bottom of the group. Even a victory over Bayern Munich on the last day of Champions League Group A would have been negated by Copenhagen’s victory over Galatasaray.
Ten Hag will have plenty of time to turn around his team’s terrible domestic results, as the dejected Red Devils suffered a 3-0 humiliation at the hands of Bournemouth last weekend.
There will be no European football scheduled for the first half of 2024.
Because of this, Man United started the weekend five spots and ten points lower than Liverpool in the Premier League rankings.
The Red Devils haven’t won away from home against a team in the top eight of the table in more than two years; their most recent victory, a 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in October 2021, was orchestrated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
A penny for both Solskjaer and Ten Hag’s thoughts as Man United was destroyed at Anfield in March, as Liverpool threw the Red Devils to a 7-0 thrashing, the visitors’ worst Premier League loss ever.
Man United hasn’t left the Reds’ home field with a Premier League victory to celebrate since 2016.
Liverpool Premier League form:
D W D W W W
Liverpool form (all competitions):
D W W W W L
Manchester United Premier League form:
W W W L W L
Manchester United form (all competitions):
W D L W L L
Even though a few of senior Liverpool players—Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold—were left off the travelling roster for Belgium in order to take well-earned vacations, Klopp still has six injured players out of the starting lineup for Sunday’s match.
The following players are expected to return at different times in 2024: Joel Matip (ACL), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Andrew Robertson (shoulder), and Thiago Alcantara (hip). Diogo Jota (muscular problem) will also be out for a few more weeks, and Alexis Mac Allister (severe knee wound) will not be able to play against the Red Devils.
At Selhurst Park, Salah scored his 150th Premier League goal in addition to reaching a double century in Liverpool colours.
The Egyptian wing king has scored 12 goals against Manchester United, which is his greatest total against a single opponent in his illustrious career.
The fact that no additional players were admitted to the hospital over midweek was a minor win for the Reds, which is more than can be said for Man United, as defensive players Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw both suffered groin and hamstring strains in the first half of their team’s loss to Bayern.
As Man United supporters anxiously await Ten Hag’s latest, they know that Amad Diallo (knee), Christian Eriksen (knee), Lisandro Martinez (foot), Casemiro (thigh), and Tyrell Malacia (knee) will undoubtedly miss action.
Victor Lindelof (knock), Mason Mount (calf), Anthony Martial (illness), and Marcus Rashford (illness) are also questionable.
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If Mount recovers from his calf problem in time for Sunday’s match, the Englishman would replace Bruno Fernandes, who will miss the match due to receiving five yellow cards; if not, Kobbie Mainoo or Hannibal Mejbri should be put in to play in the starting lineup.
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 239
Liverpool wins: 81
Draws: 68
Man Utd wins: 90
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Varane, Dalot; McTominay, Amrabat, Mainoo; Antony, Hojlund, Rashford
Our Prediction 3-1 or 3-0 won by Liverpool
