It is time for the big rivalry. It is time for England’s two greatest clubs to meet, as Manchester United will be traveling to Anfield, set on facing Liverpool. Two Germans, Ralf Rangnick and Jurgen Klopp, will go head to head and United will try to cause the upset that could not only get them in a strong position in the Champions League qualification race, but also make it much harder for Liverpool to win their 20th league title, which is what they are still chasing. Here is everything you need to know ahead of this English classic, as the two sides meet in a postponed Premier League clash.
Team News
By the looks of it, Jurgen Klopp will have his full squad healthy for this match. Joel Matip is expected to come back in the team, while Diogo Jota was the only player which recently had some injury. He was a doubt for the Wembley clash against City, but he came on in the second half as a substitute. This means Liverpool will field their absolute best team, as Roberto Firmino is well-rested following his great display against Benfica.
United, on the other hand, still have some problems. Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani continue to be on the sidelines, as they are both injured. There will be further problems in midfield, too. Fred has hip problems and Scott McTominay a foot injury, meaning Ralf Rangnick will once again have to tinker about his midfield and how to negate Liverpool’s engine room. The good news are that Rafael Varane could be returning to the fold, after missing the game against Norwich.
Form Guide
Liverpool are awaiting their big rivals in great form. They are through to the semifinals of the Champions League and they are second in the Premier League standings, just one point behind champions Man City, with seven rounds of matches still to go. Last weekend, they even defeated Pep Guardiola’s side 3-2 at Wembley, clinching the place in the FA Cup final, meaning they are still fighting for those three trophies. Jurgen Klopp’s side lost 1-0 to Inter in early March and they shone in every game since. Wins against Brighton, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Watford came without conceding, before beating Benfica 3-1 in Portugal. A 2-2 draw against City in the league was followed by a 3-3 draw against Benfica in the second leg, but both of those games made Liverpool feel good about themselves. Now they meet the team they defeated 5-0 at Old Trafford.
That team is Manchester United and they should a very much different side to the one that was humiliated while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still in post. United are not in great form. After their Champions League exit against Atletico Madrid, they drew 1-1 against Leicester and shockingly lost 1-0 to Everton. Things were slightly improved with a 3-2 win against Norwich, but even the worst team in the league was defeated after a lot of struggles and thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.
Predicted Outcome
This is a tough one. Liverpool are clearly the better side and in better form, but the visitors will be hoping of disturbing their title race. We predict a somewhat unexpected 1-1 draw at Anfield, even though Manchester United will have big problems in containing an in-form Liverpool side looking for the treble.
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