Sunday sees the return of one of England's oldest and most heated rivalries. Manchester United, who have been electric this season in the Premier League under Erik ten Hag, take on bitter rivals Liverpool, who are on the ascendency after a horrendous start to the campaign.
A few weeks ago, Salah and Co. looked to be completely out of the top-four race, and while their recent 5-2 loss to Real Madrid and nil-nil draw away to Crystal Palace showed that they aren't completely out of the woods, Klopp's men are slowly climbing back up the table.
The Merseyside giants went the first five weeks of 2023 without a Premier League win, losing three out of their first four games of the calendar year. However, since mid-February, Liverpool have managed to go unbeaten, winning three out of their last four matches, with the goalless draw at Selhurst Park being the sole blip.
Not only that, but Klopp's men have conceded zero goals during this run, beating neighbors Everton 2-0, overcoming Newcastle at St. James' Park, and — most recently — triumphing 2-0 at home to Wolves.
And just like that, the Reds have climbed up to sixth, sitting ahead of Fulham, Brighton, and Brentford. While Liverpool still trail Tottenham, who occupy the fourth and final UEFA Champions League spot for now, the gap is only six points.
Additionally, Salah and Co. have two games in hand over Spurs, which means they will leapfrog the North London giants should they triumph in both fixtures. Tottenham lost 1-0 away to Wolves on Saturday, thus handing Liverpool the golden opportunity to move within three points of a top-four spot should they beat the Red Devils.
Unfortunately for the home side, triumphing over Manchester United has been a difficult task for most clubs. Since starting the season with back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag's men have been nothing short of scintillating.
Rashford and Co. enter this tie on the back of a four-game winning streak across all competitions, but in the Premier League alone, the 20-time English champions have slipped up twice in their last five outings.
While one was a 2-2 draw with Leeds at home, the other was a 3-2 defeat away to Premier League leaders Arsenal, which is not a shameful result. Additionally, Ten Hag has finally brought an end to the club's dreadful six-year trophy drought, guiding the Red Devils to the Carabao Cup title exactly a week ago.
Casemiro and Rashford got on the scoresheet as Manchester United triumphed 2-0 over Newcastle in the final at Wembley. Another brilliant result followed, with the Red Devils pulling off a 3-1 comeback triumph over West Ham in the FA Cup during the midweek.
The last time these two teams met, the Old Trafford side emerged victorious, beating Liverpool 2-1. That was the Red Devils' first victory over the Premier League campaign. Since then, the visitors have lost only three times, with two of those defeats coming against the two clubs that sit above them in the table.
The away side are currently 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal and are nine behind second-placed Manchester City. United have played two fewer games and could thus cut that gap on Sunday with a victory. However, pulling this off at Anfield will require an inch-perfect display from the Europa League outfit.
Team news
Liverpool: Thiago Alcantara, Luis Diaz, Joe Gomez, and Calvin Ramsay are all unavailable for the hosts. Meanwhile, Naby Keita is also a doubt, but with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah all being available, Klopp will have tons of options up front.
Manchester United: Jadon Sancho and Luke Shaw, who missed the recent FA Cup win over West Ham, should be back for this game. However, the same cannot be said about Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, and Christian Eriksen. Aaron Wan-Bissake should return to the lineup as his athleticism and one-versus-one defending will be key against Darwin Nunez. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whether Antony starts or Alejandro Garnacho retains his spot in the lineup.
Key stats
-
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six home clashes with Manchester United in the Premier League.
-
However, after winning the first encounter at Old Trafford, the Red Devils will look to pull off their first double over the Merseyside giants since 2015/16.
-
No club has pulled off a Premier League double over Liverpool more than Manchester United (8).
-
No team has picked up more points in the English top-flight than Ten Hag's side since the FIFA World Cup ended (23 points).
-
Mohamed Salah has found the back of the net in all of his last five run-ins with Manchester United, scoring a whopping nine goals.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
