Leaders Liverpool host fierce rivals Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, aiming to plunge the Red Devils further into crisis.
The Merseyside side have had an exceptional first half of the 2024/25 campaign and have yet to taste defeat just once under Arne Slot. The Dutch coach has been in remarkable form and already has a convincing 3-0 victory at Old Trafford under his belt ahead of Man Utd’s visit.
Liverpoolwho have won all but four Premier League games this season, are set to take advantage of Man Utd’s low confidence and poor form, with Ruben Amorim already under pressure after losing six games in December. Such results have left his new team languishing in the bottom half.
Things could get worse for the Portuguese coach on Sunday and Man Utd supporters – and perhaps players – will fear the worst heading to Merseyside. They have not won this match at Anfield since January 2016 and have conceded 11 goals in their previous three visits, including the infamous 7-0 humiliation in 2022/23.
Here is 90 minutes guide to a mammoth Premier League encounter.
H2H record Liverpool vs Man Utd (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Liverpool |
Man Utd |
|---|---|
|
West Ham 0-5 Liverpool – 12/29/24 |
Man Utd 0-2 Newcastle – 12/30/24 |
|
Liverpool 3-1 Leicester – 12/26/24 |
Wolves 2-0 Man Utd – 26/12/24 |
|
Tottenham 3-6 Liverpool – 12/22/24 |
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth – 22/12/24 |
|
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool – 18/12/24 |
Tottenham 4-3 Man Utd – 12/19/24 |
|
Liverpool 2-2 Fulham – 14/12/24 |
Man City 1-2 Man Utd – 15/12/24 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV |
|
UNITED STATES |
fuboTV, Paon, Telemundo Sports En Vivo, NBC, Telemundo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
Liverpool have been without defensive duo Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley in recent weeks, but both returned to full-squad training on Friday.
“Conor and Ibou will train with us today [Friday] for the first time,” Slot said during his pre-match press conference. “So, [I am] curious and interested to see where exactly they are, of course. They’ve worked hard to get back on the team, but the next step is always, “How do you handle team sessions?” »
Liverpool’s only guaranteed absentee is Joe Gomez, who suffered a hamstring injury during the 5-0 win against West Ham United last time. Slot admitted the defender would be out for “a few weeks” at least.
Dominik Szoboszlai returns from his one-match suspension and is expected to start in the attacking midfielder role.
Liverpool predicted line-up against Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, MacAllister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz.
Man Utd welcome back skipper Bruno Fernandes and midfielder Manuel Ugarte from suspension after both serving one-match bans during the dismal defeat against Newcastle United last Monday. The former is a particularly important comeback given that the Red Devils have failed to score in their last three games.
Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester is uncertain and the striker, who has a strong record against Liverpool, will miss the weekend through illness.
Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are all currently injured, while Jonny Evans could be absent having not made the matchday squad against Newcastle.
Man Utd predicted line-up against Liverpool (3-4-2-1): Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Mainoo, Ugarte, Dalot; Amad, Fernandes; Hojlund.
Mn Utd will be feeling anxious heading to Anfield given their dismal form and Liverpool’s obvious superiority, with recent trips to the red half of Merseyside painfully embarrassing. Amorim is hoping for a remarkable performance from him on the biggest stage, but there is little evidence to suggest he will get his wish.
Man Utd’s defense has been dreadful in recent weeks and has been far too easy to break through. Liverpool, who have scored 14 goals in their last three matches, are well placed to put a disorganized defense to the sword.
Three points is all that matters for Liverpool as they continue the Premier League title, but a convincing victory over their bitter rivals certainly wouldn’t hurt them. Man Utd’s saving grace may be that their hosts have a midweek Carabao Cup semi-final to worry about.
