It will be a spectacle when Manchester United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford in the Premier League. It is a clash between two teams from different cities in the United Kingdom but in the same region. While the Red Devils have blown hot and cold this season, the Reds are firmly in the title race with Manchester City and Arsenal.
The Red Devils have had a roller-coaster campaign under Erik Ten Hag this term, and at some points it has been comical. Harry Maguire, who was one of the worst players at the club last season has now become one of the best players. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford, who was the main man in attack last season, has seen his form drop so much that youngster Alejandro Garnacho is now seen as United's main threat. However, Rashford has shown flashes of form of late and is now combining well with summer signing Rasmus Hojlund.
Manchester United's disappointing campaign started with their transfer decisions. Following the departures of Anthony Elanga, Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, and Mason Greenwood, United welcomed Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Johnny Evans, and Sergio Reguillon to the club over the summer.
Those mostly poor transfer decisions have haunted them this season, and that has seen them lose embarrassingly to teams like Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Brighton. The smaller teams have also had their bite of the cherry, with Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth humbling them at Old Trafford. Onana has been a shadow of the goalkeeper he was at Inter Milan, making some mistakes which have cost the club. The poor recruitment has left the side in a bad place but they are not totally out of sight as they could finish strong and book a spot in Europe next season.
On the flip side, a couple of positives for the Red Devils include beating Chelsea 2-1 and thrashing Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park before a goalless draw at Anfield with Liverpool. Apart from that, they got knocked out of Europe completely before losing to Forest and West Ham on the road. United sit just outside the top 5 and a run of fine results could propel them to greater heights before the season comes to an end.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are enjoying a fine season, currently sitting second in the Premier League on goal difference with 64 points as of the time of writing. During the summer, the team experienced notable departures, primarily to the Saudi Pro League. Former captain Jordan Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq alongside club legend Steven Gerrard, while Roberto Firmino and Fabinho headed to Al-Ahli Saudi and Al-Ittihad, respectively.
Other exits included Naby Keita to Werder Bremen after the expiration of his contract, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain headed off to Besiktas, James Milner to Brighton and Hove Albion, Fabio Carvalho on loan to RB Leipzig, and Arthur Melo, who left at the end of a challenging loan spell. Marquee signings strengthened the squad, with Hungarian captain Dominik Szoboszlai arriving from RB Leipzig, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion, Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, and Wataru Endo joining the ranks from Stuttgart.
The Reds started their Premier League campaign with an entertaining 1-1 draw against Chelsea, followed by five consecutive wins against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wolves, and West Ham. Notably, Liverpool beat Newcastle with Darwin Nunez pulling up heroics after captain Virgil Van Dijk was sent off early in the game.
The team faced their first defeat in a dramatic loss to Tottenham Hotspur, ending with nine men due to red cards for Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota. Subsequent matches included a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, victories against Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Brentford, Fulham, and Sheffield, and a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace that saw Salah score his 200th goal for the club.
The defeat at Arsenal allowed the Gunners to close the gap on them at the top and Manchester City have also got back to their feet. It is a three-horse race now and the season is nearing its end. More importantly, Liverpool are currently high on confidence and they could go all out for the win in this particular fixture.
Match tickets
The epic match at Old Trafford in Manchester kicks off on Saturday 6th April 2024, at 3 PM UK time. United’s 74,031-capacity stadium will be playing host to this fixture between two foremost Premier League teams.
Getting tickets for the Manchester United v Liverpool tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Goalkeeper Andre Onana returned from AFCON duties with Cameroon a new man and has been doing much better with United since then. United have struggled with injuries this season, although Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof could make their return before this game. Meanwhile, Anthony Martial, who just underwent surgery, could be available for this fixture.
Manchester United XI: Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Johnny Evans, Diogo Dalot; Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Christian Eriksen; Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford.
For Liverpool, Joel Matip is out for the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture but other injured stars might be back for this one. Trent Alexander-Arnold has an outside chance of making it, while Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones should be available following lengthy layoffs. The game will probably come too soon for Alisson Becker though.
Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher; Joe Gomez, Ibrahim Konate, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai; Mohammed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
Prediction
Manchester United recently overcame Liverpool in a dramatic FA Cup tie that was settled with the last kick of extra time, so they will go into the game with renewed confidence.
However, Liverpool, even with numerous injuries, have shown the capacity and determination to compete for the title in Jurgen Klopp’s final season with the side. This encounter might just end in a stalemate, but Liverpool desperately need the three points and will need to find a way to finally beat United having twice failed to do so this season.
Manchester United 2-3 Liverpool
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.