The LFC Fan Preview: Manchester United vs. Liverpool
Manchester United vs. Liverpool. Old Trafford. ‘The Theatre of Dreams’. Decades of history. Ups and downs. Gerrard kissing the camera. Torres vs. Vidic. Salah’s hat trick. One of the biggest games in football returns this Sunday, and the excitement is building as usual. Slot vs. Ten Hag, who will earn bragging rights? This article will dive into what can be expected from the historic clash, including my prediction, predicted line-ups, Liverpool’s midfield star, and more as Liverpool aim to make it 3/3 wins under Slot.
Predicted Line-ups
Liverpool
- Alisson (1)
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (66)
- Ibrahima Konate (5)
- Virgil van Dijk (4)
- Andy Robertson (26)
- Ryan Gravenberch (38)
- Alexis Mac Allister (10)
- Dominik Szoboszlai (8)
- Mohamed Salah (11)
- Diogo Jota (20)
- Luiz Diaz (7)
Manchester United
- Onana (24)
- Mazraoui (3)
- Maguire (5)\
- Martinez (6)
- Dalot (20)
- Casemiro (18)
- Mainoo (37)
- Rashford (10)
- Fernandes (18)
- Garnacho (17)
- Zirkzee (11)
Manchester United vs. Liverpool: The Preview
It looks as though Liverpool will head into the North West derby unchanged from their previous league fixture at home to Brentford. Alisson between the sticks with the standard back 4 of Robertson, Virgil, Konate, and Trent to be expected.
Despite starting against Ipswich in Gameweek 1, Jarell Quansah looks set to start his second game in a row on the bench, as he has work to do before he reclaims his spot next to van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
Liverpool boast an impressive defensive record so far under new head coach Arne Slot, as they have so far only conceded an xG against of 0.26 (the lowest in the league so far), as per LFCData on X, while keeping 2 clean sheets in their opening 2 games.
The use of the impressive offside trap has been responsible for the lack of xG faced as both Ipswich and Brentford were caught offside multiple times, limiting the number of chances Liverpool faced.
Liverpool look set to start with the same midfield that they have for the first two games, with Gravenberch, Mac Allister, and Szoboszlai all impressing under Arne Slot so far. Szoboszlai has seemed to fit his role like a glove, using his athleticism to his advantage, as he made an impressive 4 recoveries in the game against Ipswich and a further 5 recoveries in the Brentford game. 9 recoveries across 2 games, as per Bence Bocsák, which shows how vital he has been so far, so expect to see him starting on Sunday.
playersMac Allister has also been impressive under Arne Slot, picking up where he left off last season in being one of Liverpool’s most important players. The Argentine has continued to show his flair while also never shying away from getting stuck in, with him winning 5 fouls and committing 4 across the first 2 games.
His flair, composure, and fighting spirit will be much needed on Sunday, as this clash has a history of being feisty. Finally, the main man of Arne Slot’s Liverpool midfield, Ryan Gravenberch. An impressive start to life under Arne Slot for the Dutchman, which has seen him turn in two player of the match-worthy performances, earning himself a special segment of the article further down.
Finally, it is expected that Liverpool will go unchanged in the attacking front of the team, with Diaz expected to start on the left after his impressive performance against Brentford, where he picked up an assist and a goal while also creating the most chances (4), as per Statmuse FC. Diogo Jota is expected to start in the striker position as he has proved crucial so far, and it seems as though Slot has Diogo ahead of Nunez in the pecking order, and he’ll hope to get as much out of Diogo as he can while praying for an injury-free season from the Portuguese international.
And of course, the final position belongs to none other than Mohamed Salah. An impressive finish against Brentford saw the Egyptian bag his second goal of the season as he continues to break records and leave fans in awe whenever he steps foot on a football pitch.
The Liverpool star holds an impressive record against the Red Devils, scoring 14 and assisting 4 in 15 appearances against them in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt, while he holds the record for the most Premier League goals scored against Manchester United with 11. Salah is one of the first names on the team sheet as he looks to add to this impressive record, and he’ll be hoping to terrorise the Manchester United defence as usual.
Man United are expected to make two changes from their 2-1 loss to Brighton as Garnacho comes in to replace Amad Diallo and Zirkzee comes in for the injured Mason Mount. United will be looking to bounce back with a statement win against Liverpool after being left disappointed due to Joao Pedro’s last-minute winner. The latest addition of Manuel Ugarte, who is all but confirmed to join in the coming days, should strengthen United and give them much-needed stability in midfield, as fans will be hoping he is registered in time for the clash with Liverpool on Sunday. But it appears this will not be the case
Furthermore, another summer window addition, Matthijs de Ligt, looks set to remain on the sidelines as he is given time to gel into the squad, while United will also be without midfielder Scott McTominay as he looks set to make a £30 million switch to Napoli in the coming days. Rashford is expected to start on the left despite a poor run of form, with him having a decent record against Liverpool, scoring 7 and assisting once in 18 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt.
Not as impressive as Mo’s but a record that makes him one to watch for the upcoming game. His ability to cut in from the left is not to be ignored, and with the everlasting debate of whether Trent is a good defender or not, he should expect a busy afternoon come Sunday, as Liverpool fans will hope he keeps Rashford quiet.
Ryan Gravenberch
One man in particular has benefitted from the arrival of Arne. Ryan Gravenberch. He had a difficult start to life on Merseyside after joining the Reds in the summer of 2023 for about £35 million because Klopp preferred a midfield of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, and Endo. Gravenberch only played 1839 minutes, as per Transfermarkt, and Liverpool fans were divided on whether or not he was good enough to play for the club. With rumours of a move away and interest from a number of clubs, including Galatasaray, his future with the Reds looked uncertain, but now things are looking up.
After an impressive pre-season, Gravenberch has so far started 2/2 games for Liverpool in the league this season, with both of those performances being worthy of the player of the match award. Gravenberch also revived a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd after impressing in the 2-0 win over Brentford.
Gravenberch began the season in stellar form, completing 51/59 passes, with 9 of them being made into the final third (the most of anyone else in the game). Gravenberch has also contributed to the impressive defensive record kept by Liverpool across the 2 games, with the midfielder having the highest defensive workrate of any Liverpool player in the opening game in terms of tackles, interceptions, fouls and other defensive actions.
Gravenberch has the opportunity to make that number 6 position his own due to Liverpools lack of activity in the summer transfer window. Many fans were crying out for a number 6 as the transfer window approached and after a failed attempt to bring in Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad, it looks like Arne Slot and his coaching team are committed to moulding Gravenberch into the perfect number 6 for the system they want to use. Gravenberch’s 6’3″ frame and his ability to turn away from a press give him the tools he needs to perform this role and Liverpool fans will be hoping his run of impressive form can continue.
My Prediction
- Manchester United 0-2 Liverpool
- Salah x1
- Jota x1
I’ve gone with a 2-0 win from Liverpool as my prediction. I think a tough game can be expected for both sides, with neither of them wanting to be the losing team. An impressive start from Liverpool could be expected to continue, but this is the first real test for Arne Slot, with it being the first top 6 side he has played, excluding friendlies.
I expect Mohamed Salah to continue his incredible goal-scoring form against the Red Devils, as I’ve predicted him to open the scoring on Sunday, while I also think Diogo Jota will once again prove his clinical finishing to double Liverpool’s lead. I think a clean sheet for Liverpool wouldn’t be surprising, as Liverpool’s impressive defensive record so far could be too much for Manchester United to break down.
Despite Uniteds impressive record recently against Liverpool, avoiding defeat in 3/3 games last season, including a 4-3 win in the FA cup quarter final, I think we will see a different approach from Liverpool under Arne Slot with a focus on being more defensively secure and more patient, as opposed to the heavy metal, full throttle, chaotic football played by Liverpool last season under Jurgen Klopp, that allowed Man United to have more space in attack due to Liverpool overcommitting when going forward and being caught out.
Summary
To conclude, the fixture is definitely one to get excited about. Dutch manager vs. Dutch manager. 4 previous meetings between the two at Feyenoord and Ajax, with each manager taking 2 victories apiece. The result could go either way, and an unexpected result is not something out of the ordinary. A 0-0 bore, a goalfest, 30 yard screamers, tap-ins, tackles, cards, controversies. This fixture has it all. Manchester vs Merseyside. A historic fixture for the ages. Sunday, 1st September. You’d be stupid to miss it.
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