MANCHESTER UNITED head to Anfield for one of Erik ten Hag’s biggest tests as Red Devils manager.
The headline team news is that United star defender Raphael Varane starts after passing a late fitness test.
Liverpool are showing signs of a revival after a miserable season so far, while United are still in the title race – but only just.
The Reds will be buoyed by Newcastle and Tottenham’s defeats on Saturday – so if they win their two games in hand, they go into a top-four place.
What more motivation could they need to beat rivals United?
- Kick-off time: 4.30pm UK
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League
- Live stream: Now
- Liverpool team: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Elliott, Henderson, Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
- Man Utd team: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, Antony, Fernandes, Rashford, Weghorst
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST NEW CUSTOMER SIGN UP DEALS
Stay up to date with all the latest from Anfield…
Van Dijk record
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has gained global recognition for his defensive prowess.
But Van Dijk has also proven to be dangerous in attack ever since his Premier League arrival in 2015.
The Netherlands international has scored 20 goals in the Prem, which is the most of any centre-back since he joined Southampton eight years ago.
The 31-year-old has amassed three goals in 20 league matches this season
Salah targets milestone
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah is on fire this season with nine goals and five assists in 24 Premier League matches.
But Salah is targeting something major this season as he is just one goal away from equalling Robbie Fowler’s Prem club record of 128.
The winger has scored at least 20 goals across all competitions in all six of his seasons with the Reds.
And the Egypt international has netted eight Premier League goals against Manchester United – only Alan Shearer, with 10, has more
Man Utd formation
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag appears to have chosen a 4-2-3-1 formation with six changes to the team that beat West Ham in the FA Cup on Wednesday.
David de Gea starts in goal with Diogo Dalot at right-back and Luke Shaw, on for Tyrell Malacia, on the other side, while Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane replace Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof at centre-back.
Fred and Casemiro come on for Marcel Sabitzer and Scott McTominay in midfield, while captain Bruno Fernandes plays at No10.
Antony covers the right flank with Marcus Rashford taking the place of Alejandro Garnacho on the other side, while Wout Weghorst spearheads the attack
Liverpool formation
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp appears to have opted for his usual 4-3-3 formation with three changes to the team that beat Wolves in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Alisson starts in goal with Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back and Andy Robertson replacing Kostas Tsimikas on the other side, while Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk team up at centre-back.
Harvey Elliott, Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson, who replaces Stefan Bajcetic, link up in midfield.
Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, on for Diogo Jota, lead the attack
Man Utd subs
Heaton, Maguire, Malacia, Sabitzer, Sancho, Wan Bissaka, Elanga, McTominay, Garnacho
Liverpool subs
Kelleher, Milner, Firmino, Jones, Carvalho, Matip, Tsimikas, Bajcetic, Jota
Man Utd XI
De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Fred, Fernandes, Weghorst, Rashford, Antony
Liverpool XI
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Elliott, Fabinho, Henderson, Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
The team sheets are in!!!
Man Utd stats
Manchester United are third in the Premier League table with two games in hand as well as nine points away from second-placed Manchester City and 14 away from leaders Arsenal.
United have won 15 out of 24 Prem matches so far and lost five along the way.
In fact, the Red Devils have earned 23 points since the 2022 World Cup break – no team in the English top flight has won more during this period.
Erik ten Hag’s side could reach 50 points after 25 Premier League matches for only the second time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
Last time took place in the 2017-2018 season under Jose Mourinho when they recorded 53 points in that period and finished second.
Finally, United have scored in each of their last 15 league games, which is the longest run in the competition
Credit: PA Liverpool stats
Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League table with six points separating them from fourth placed Tottenham – but Jurgen Klopp’s men have two games in hand.
The Reds have won 11 out of all their 24 Prem matches and lost seven times along the way.
The Merseysiders have won three of their last four Premier League games after failing to win any of the first four matches of 2023, this means the hosts can remain unbeaten in five consecutive league fixtures for the first time this season.
The signs are promising as Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in four consecutive Prem games for the first time since April.
But Klopp’s side has won 27 points at home and 12 away this season, which is the biggest differential of any team
Credit: Rex Detailed head-to-head record
Liverpool and Manchester United’s historic rivalry kicked off way back in 1949 during a First Division match that ended 1-1 at Anfield.
Since then, United have won a majority of 62 out of 151 matches across all competitions, with the Reds counting 46 victories along the way
But the Red Devils haven’t won at Anfield since 2016 and got thrashed in their last visit last season when the Merseysiders won 4-0.
In fact, Liverpool have won four of their subsequent seven matches against the Manchester giants at the Kop
Credit: PA Liverpoll vs Man Utd team news
Hello everybody – Kostas here – and I will be bringing you all the action from Anfield as rivals Liverpool and Manchester United lock horns in a crucial Premier League derby.
The two foes have everything to fight for as third-placed United are still on an unexpected quadruple run while the Reds need a win to push for a top-four finish amid a turbulent season.
As mentioned earlier, though, the Merseysiders’ manager Jurgen Klopp will be without Thiago Alcantara (hip), Luiz Diaz (knee), Arthur (quad) and Calvin Ramsay (knee).
Joe Gomez and Naby Keita are a doubt after missing Wednesday’s Prem victory over Wolves with respective knocks.
But Klopp has had important players, like Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk, back at his disposal for the derby.
United manager Erik ten Hag, on the other hand, will be without Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek, who are out with an ankle and knee injury respectively.
Anthony Martial is unlikely to be fit in time as he is still dealing with a hip injury.
Ten Hag also has minor doubts over Luke Shaw and in-form Jadon Sancho, who missed Wednesday’s FA Cup victory over West Ham with a knock and illness respectively
Credit: Getty Last season’s antics
Last season, Liverpool were in imperious form, winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, while reaching the Champions League final and missing out on the Premier League after one of the most-outrageous final-day comebacks ever from Manchester City.
The Reds also spanked United 9-0 across their two Premier League fixtures – with Jurgen Klopp grinning as his side made the Red Devils look like total amateurs.
This season, the German’s iconic grin has been replaced by a grimace as his Reds fall apart in front of his very eyes.
Make no mistake, this Liverpool squad needs a huge shake-up this summer with an aging midfield, error-prone defence and injury hit front-line wreaking havoc.
But will they be able to attract the likes of Jude Bellingham when they’re increasingly unlikely to grab a Champions League place?
SunSport’s prediction
Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd
It’s hard to see Man Utd losing but this match won’t be easy in front of a fired-up Anfield and against a Liverpool team desperately fighting for points.
It should be entertaining – expect goals.
United’s star man
Marcus Rashford is the most in-form forward in the world at the moment.
Rashford has contributed to 16 goals since the World Cup and defences across Europe have struggled to slow him down.
Undoubtedly United’s biggest threat and any success they have will stem from the Three Lions star.
Liverpool’s star man?
Going forward Trent Alexander-Arnold has the ability to affect any game.
Much-maligned defensively, if Liverpool are to get anything out of the game, they’ll need to find a way to stop Rashford.
Alexander-Arnold will need to be switched on for the full 90 minutes.
And if he gets a chance to bomb forward or get a set-piece within 30 yards, the England ace could be the most important player on the pitch for Klopp.
Ten Hag’s record vs Liverpool
Today is not the first time Erik ten Hag has faced the Reds at Anfield.
He was manager of Ajax when the then champions of the Eredivisie took on the Premier League winners in the 2020-21 Champions League group stages.
Liverpool won at the Johann Cruyff Arena 1-0.
And then Jurgen Klopp’s side repeated the result at Anfield as they qualified top of their group, while Ajax finished third and were dumped into the Europa League.
Credit: PA Keane as mustard
There is bound to be some fireworks in the pundit studio today.
Roy Keane, pictured, is alongside Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness for Sky Sports.
The Irishman, 51, has arrived early at Anfield and will not hold back with his forthright views.
Credit: Rex United last time out
Eric ten Hag gave some key players a much-needed rest in midweek after a hectic couple of weeks.
The likes of Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Raphael Varane all started on the bench.
So they will be raring to go from the off at Anfield today.
Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek will both miss the clash at Anfield.
Anthony Martial is unlikely to be fit, with Wout Weghorst set to continue leading the line.
Ten Hag also has minor doubts over Luke Shaw and Jadon Sancho who missed the FA Cup win over West Ham with an injury and illness respectively.
The Reds’ last time out
Jurgen Klopp will be hoping to have no fresh injury concerns following Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Wolves in midweek.
Thiago is still out, as are Luiz Diaz and Calvin Ramsay.
Arthur is still likely to miss the match, despite returning to training.
Joe Gomez and Naby Keita are questionable after missing the win over Wolves with knocks.
Andy Robertson could come back into the fold in place of Kostas Tsimikas after being rested in midweek.
Red’s boss could call upon skipper Jordan Henderson for such a big occasion.
January signing Cody Gakpo will be pushing for a start after being dropped for the Wolves game.
Trent stats
Trent Alexander-Arnold has had a quiet campaign so far with one goal and two assists.
By Trent’s standards, the assists numbers are very low as the 24-year-old ended last season with a huge 12 assists from right-back.
That’s just one behind teammate Mohammed Salah who finished top of the assists chart last season.
Managers’ plea to fans
Both Jurgen Klopp and Erik ten Hag have called for an end to ‘tragedy chanting’ in football, in anticipation of today’s Premier League fixture.
Jurgen Klopp said: “One of the main reasons why the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is so special is that it is so intense and no-one should ever want to change this. But at the same time, when the rivalry becomes too intense it can go to places that are not good for anyone and we do not need this.
“We do want the noise; we do want the occasion to be partisan and we do want the atmosphere to be electric. What we do not want is anything that goes beyond this and this applies especially to the kind of chants that have no place in football. If we can keep the passion and lose the poison, it will be so much better for everyone.”
Erik Ten Hag said: “The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is one of the greatest in world football. We all love the passion of the fans when our teams meet, but there are lines that should not be crossed.
“It is unacceptable to use the loss of life — in relation to any tragedy — to score points, and it is time for it to stop. Those responsible tarnish not only the reputation of our clubs but also, importantly, the reputation of themselves, the fans, and our great cities.
Head-to-head
Last season Ralf Rangnick’s dismantled Manchester United side were picked apart by a title-chasing Liverpool, as the Reds walked out 4-0 winners on the day.
The goals that day came from Luis Diaz, Sadio Mané and a brace from Mo Salah.
The Red Devils last won at Anfield back in 2016 thanks to a late goal from United legend Wayne Rooney.
Credit: Getty Good afternoon all welcome to Anfield
Welcome to SunSports’s live blog as Liverpool host Manchester United in a massive Premier League derby clash.
The Red Devils are still on for the quadruple this season, with the Carabao Cup already secured.
The Merseyside club are currently 6 points off a Champions League spot but do have two games in hand on Spurs in fourth.
The Reds go into the game with three wins in four, with Mohammed Salah getting back on the score sheet in their most recent win against Wolves.
United haven’t tasted defeat since their 3-2 loss at the Emirates back in January.
Since then, they have been in unbelievable form in the league and in cup competitions, with some fans hopeful of a quadruple this season.
In the return fixture, Man United beat Jurgen Klopp’s side 2-1 with goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Mohammed Salah pulled one back late on, but Eric Ten Hag’s side held on to a precious three points against their bitter rivals.
Thiago, Luiz Diaz and Calvin Ramsey will all miss the all-important game at Anfield, but Klopp will be happy to have Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk back fit in recent weeks.
Joe Gomez and Naby Keita both missed the midweek win over Wolves meaning today’s game could come soon for the pair.
Eric ten Hag will still be without midfield duo Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek as they are both sidelined with long-term injuries.
There are doubts over the fitness of Luke Shaw and Jadon Sancho, who missed the FA Cup 5th round triumph over West Ham in midweek.
Sancho missed the game due to illness, while Luke Shaw picked up a minor injury.
Luke Shaw would be a massive miss for the Red Devils, especially with Mo Salah back in goalscoring form.
The former Southampton man has been everpresent in the United backline this season, player left-back and also filling in a left-centre back when Lisandro Martínez.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
