All eyes will be on Anfield when Liverpool and Manchester United face each other in the Premier League derby on Sunday afternoon. The Reds have been impressive in the 2019/2020 season, with the team dropping only two points in the English top flight, but Jurgen Klopp must warn his men against complacency.
The German tactician can count on key players for the Man Utd game, and given the Reds’ home record in the national championship, punters can definitely find value in backing the league leaders.
The Red Devils did well to crush Norwich City 4-0 at their Old Trafford at the weekend, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry in the Anfield showdown. In their last meeting in Liverpool the Reds emerged triumphant (3-1), which is yet another reason why home win should be considered..
United have a decent recent record against Liverpool at Old Trafford – and haven’t lost to our fierce rivals at home in the last six in all competitions.
In the Premier League, we have faced the Anfield outfit 27 times and have won 16, drawn six and lost five of those meetings in M16. Last season, United and Liverpool played out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
Overall, the two sides have met on 202 occasions, with United winning 80, drawing 56 and losing 66 of the previous encounters.
United will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing our last Premier League match, at Newcastle United, before the international break.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side can, however, take heart from our home record in all competitions so far this campaign: we’ve won four of our six fixtures at Old Trafford, losing one.
Our last game in M16 saw us draw 1-1 with Unai Emery’s Arsenal, with Scott McTominay registering a spectacular effort which won our September Goal-of-the-Month award.
The Merseysiders have made a perfect start to the 2019/20 Premier League season, winning each of their eight games so far, to establish an eight-point lead at the summit.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently on a 17-game winning run in the league stretching back to March, which includes away victories at Chelsea, Southampton, Burnley and Newcastle.
However, they were defeated 2-0 by Napoli in the only European match they’ve played away from Anfield this term.
David De Gea and Paul Pogba have been ruled out of contention to play by manager Ole Gunnar Solkskjaer. De Gea was injured during Spain’s draw with Sweden, while Pogba has failed to recover from an ankle problem.
Ole seemed to suggest that Sunday’s game could come too soon for Luke Shaw (hamstring), although Aaron Wan-Bissaka (tonsilitis) and Anthony Martial (thigh) may feature.
There has been no update on the progress of Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones, while Eric Bailly is still missing after undergoing knee surgery over the summer.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who has been sidelined with a torn calf since the Reds’ opening-day victory over Norwich City, is in line to make a return to Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up.
Mohamed Salah could also feature after injuring his ankle against Leicester City prior to the international break. Joel Matip missed the win over the Foxes but may be in contention when the Merseysiders travel up the M62 on Sunday, suggested the German in his pre-match press conference.
“There are two more sessions to come from this afternoon and we have to see. Then we’ll make decisions, that’s how it is. Nothing is fixed,” said Klopp on Friday.
There is no update on Xherdan Shaqiri, while the only Liverpool player definitely ruled out is right-back Nathaniel Clyne. The former Southampton defender suffered a serious knee injury over the summer, and no date has yet been set for his return.
Martin Atkinson will take charge of Sunday’s match, with Lee Betts and Constantine Hatzidakis as his assistants and Jon Moss as fourth official.
Atkinson is one of the Premier League’s most experienced referees and is no stranger to this fixture: he was the man in the middle for both games games in the 2014/15 season,and also officiated our last two visits to Anfield.
David Coote will be the Video Assistant Referee situated at Stockley Park, with Marc Perry his assistant.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Liverpool
Matches Win Draw Lose
Overall 38 16 5 17
Home 19 12 2 5
Away 19 4 3 12
Manchester United
Matches Win Draw Lose
Overall 38 19 8 11
Home 19 13 3 3
Away 19 6 5 8
POSSIBLE LINE-UP
Liverpool
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane
Manchester United
De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Williams, Fred, Matic, Andreas, James, Rashford, Martial.
