Preview: Robin Van Persie out, Luis Suarez in – who wins?
After missing last Sunday’s Manchester Derby through injury, Dutch striker Robin Van Persie has still not been passed fit to feature in Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup home fixture against Liverpool. In contrast, Liverpool have been boosted by the return of prolific Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. Whether he starts from the bench or not, the former Eredivisie star will certainly inject fear in Man United’s shaky defence.
“Everyone knows the depth of his qualities, and his attitude – his non-stop in his commitment,” said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers on Monday.
“I'm sure once he gets back onto the field again he'll show what he has shown since he's been here, which has been top quality.”
Manchester United’s difficult schedule could have been seen as a blessing in disguise but at this point, it has proven to be a torment. In the English Premier League, the Red Devils picked up only a point from a possible nine out of their three huge encounters – against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.
Having gone down 1-0 at Anfield on the first day of September, David Moyes and his players are contemplating revenge at Old Trafford. Expect the reigning EPL champions to play with ultra-motivation with that 4-1 loss to City in the back of their minds. It should be an epic encounter, regardless of the size of the competition. And as Moyes hinted in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Manchester United could line up quite a strong squad.
“I think my idea was always to focus on every competition. It's always been the way here to win. In many ways the Capital One Cup has been a route to give as many young players an opportunity as we can,” the former Everton boss explained before concluding:
“I think the draw sometimes in the Capital One Cup is the reason sometimes you can do that. Obviously this is a really big tie that has come out of the hat first.”
Liverpool claimed a record eighth Football League Cup title in 2012, beating Cardiff City 3-2 on penalties after an exhausting 2-2 draw. The Merseyside Reds, who surprisingly lost their unbeaten league run last weekend at home to Southampton, are ready to take the tournament by storm this season as Rodgers confirmed:
“Liverpool v Manchester United is always a massive game. It's certainly one that we're going there looking to get through into the next round. After the disappointment of the weekend, it's great to get back on the field again.”
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Manchester United vs Liverpool live on Wednesday, September 25, 2013:
In Canada (listen) at 14:45 ET on: TalkSPORT Radio
In UK at 19:45 BST on: Sky Go, Sky Sports 2/HD, Sky Sports 3D
In USA at 14:45 ET on: beIN Sport USA, SiriusXM FC, beIN Sport Play, TalkSPORT Radio
Online streaming update
In USA: Watch Man Utd vs Liverpool online streaming in HD on beIN Sport on DISH WORLD.
In UK: Watch Man Utd vs Liverpool online through Sky Sports on NOW TV.
You can find our exclusive live listings compilation of this big Capital One Cup fixture by checking the United-Liverpool match page. For live scores of what will happen at Old Trafford, stay with LiveSoccerTV during the game.
