Verdict: Both teams to score
Best odds: 8/15
Bookmaker: Betfair
On Sunday, Anfield will be the stage for the clash of two rivals with 20 league titles apiece as Liverpool play host to Manchester United.
A fierce rivalry, fueled by more than just football, and amid a surely roaring atmosphere at the iconic stadium on Merseyside, there will be more at stake than just the points on offer.
Liverpool
Liverpool started the campaign with a perfect record after five rounds, though they needed late goals in all of those games to win. But things seemingly unraveled after that, with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge beating the reigning Premier League champions. International breaks have been known to break chains of good form for the Reds in the past, and they will now be wondering if this one might not break the string of bad before the situation worsens.
Moises Caicedo struck early and Estevao Willian netted a late winner for Chelsea – either side of a Cody Gakpo equalizer, and it was extremely similar away to Palace, maybe creating a bit of karma for Liverpool after what had happened in the opening five rounds. Speaking to the press ahead of the game, head coach Arne Slot has made it clear he expects a reaction from his players.
To be fair, Slot led Liverpool to the title last season with a squad he had inherited almost entirely from Jurgen Klopp, and many changes have been made this summer. Big money was spent on the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, and still, neither looks quite as good might’ve been expected.
Liverpool also face uncertainty over the future of Ibrahima Konate, currently on course to become a free agent next summer. The French defender has been linked heavily with Real Madrid, and his performances in the last two matches left a lot to be desired.
Team News
Quite apart from all that, Konate is a doubt for this game after pulling out of the France squad ahead of their World Cup qualifier with Iceland. He has trained with the rest of the Reds since, but his involvement on Sunday is far from certain at this point.
Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch also had problems on international duty, but Slot says he’s “completely fit”. The certainties are goalkeeper Alisson Becker not being back from injury for this one, and he won’t be back next week either, and defender Giovanni Leoni missing the whole season through an ACL tear.
On the flip side, the Dutch tactician announced that Federico Chiesa would be rewarder for good performances in previous matches with more playing time on Sunday. Whether that means a start for the Italian winger or simply a longer cameo, remains to be seen.
Manchester United
Meanwhile, Manchester United are still working hard to bounce back for the disappointments of last season. Not only did their arch-rivals win the title and equal their record, but the Red Devils finished in 15th place and suffered heartbreak at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. The pressure appeared to have risen higher after League Two side Grimsby Town knocked them out of the Carabao Cup.
Like Liverpool, United have also invested strongly into summer additions, most notably in the attacking section with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arriving to Old Trafford.
The efforts of manager Ruben Amorim and his players have not been completely fruitless. At the moment, their form is literally full of ups and downs, with victories and defeats alternating throughout their last four outings. And having beaten Sunderland ahead of the international break – first-half goals from Mason Mount and Sesko did the trick – they will be hoping to break that trend on Sunday.
United haven’t won a league game at Anfield since January 2016 – so this is their last chance to prevent going a whole decade without winning away to their fiercest rivals.
Team News
Defenders Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Noussair Mazraoui (thigh) are unavailable for selection.
Amorim has also revealed that teenage centre-back Ayden Heaven “picked something up”, but it didn’t look too serious, so he is classed as a doubt at this point.
Mount and Sesko have probably done enough to deserve another start up front, while Cunha will be hoping to displace Mbeumo from the lineup. The rest should remain unchanged from the Sunderland game, even if playing against Liverpool at Anfield is a rather different prospect.
Conclusion
Liverpool still boast the greater quality and playing at home, they will be seen as favourites. It will, however, depend a lot on whether they can improve on what they offered in the last two matches. The uncertainty of performance levels surrounds United as well, so calling the outcome of this game is arguably an ungrateful task.
On the other hand, it’s been a very long time since any team stopped Liverpool from scoring, and their back line is looking rather shaky, which means both sides will fancy their chances of finding the back of the opposition net.
Verdict: Both teams to score
Best odds: 8/15
Bookmaker: Betfair
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