The big clash between Manchester United and Liverpool is fast approaching. The Red Devils are set to host their big rival at Old Trafford, in a match that could be crucial for the visitors if they are to play European football next season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has had a much better campaign in the Premier League, while Jurgen Klopp’s team has ended their European challenges in the Champions League quarterfinals and are now focusing solely on getting as higer as possible in the Premier League standings.
Both teams have had their highs and lows, but what would like a combined XI from these two sides, if they were to merge based on their performances this season? Here is our guess.
Goalkeeper – Alisson
It is not that Alisson was necessarily much better than David de Gea or Dean Henderson. Liverpool have had a worse defence, but they have conceded just four goals more, which is not a lot considering their truly troubled defence this season, and also considering they are in seventh place in the standings. But Alisson has been the one of these three goalkeepers which was always the number one choice and his performances at Liverpool have been mostly good, while De Gea and Henderson were pretty much splitting their time spent in goal in the league.
The All Man United Back Four
But while Liverpool have got their goalkeeper in this team, Man United have got the whole back four. The reason for this is a mixture of United defenders pretty much having a good season defensively, while Liverpool were seriously ravaged by injuries and some poor performances, such as those of Alexander-Arnold. Wan-Bissaka has been brilliant at right-back, Luke Shaw is one of the best left-backs in the league this season, while Maguire’s performances have become more reliable. His partner this time will be Victor Lindelof, mostly because there are no obvious picks from Liverpool, with Phillips, Ozan Kabak and others trying to replace long-term injured players like Van Dijk and Gomez.
Interesting Midfield Choices
We went for a midfield trio of one defensive midfielder in Jordan Henderson and two players ahead with more freedom – Bruno Fernandes and Georginio Wijnaldum. Paul Pogba’s recent performances have been good recently, but Wijnaldum has been one of those silent leaders of the team, consistently performing at a high level, something we still wish we will see from Pogba. Bruno Fernandes is an obvious pick, while Jordan Henderson is a better choice for a single pivote than either of Scott McTominay or Fred.
Salah To Complement Man United Forwards
And finally, the attacking trident complements well. Man United have perennial problems with the right wing and that is where Mohamed Salah enters the game, as the scorer of 20 Premier League goals this season. On the left flank will be Marcus Rashford, who has been more important for United than Sadio Mane was for Liverpool this year, while the position of the lone striker is reserved for Edinson Cavani, the brilliant Uruguayan who has shown just what kind of class he possesses in his game.
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