Liverpool host Manchester United in Premier League’s pick of the week on Sunday.
The Reds’ unbeaten league run will be put to the test in this season’s first West North Derby which, by default, is set out to be another highly entertaining affair.
With four of last five competitive meetings between these two sides ending in a draw the forthcoming game between Liverpool and Manchester United is likely to be yet another close call. This match will be a clash of two different styles and tactics so here is a view at five key aspects that could end up having a crucial impact in the final result.
Alisson Becker & David De Gea
West North Derby is expected to be an openly contested game with plenty of action on both ends of hte pitch. This might not be the best news for Alisson Becker and David De Gea who will need to be on their toes for the full 90 minutes.
Liverpool and Manchester United goalkeepers have been in the limelight for quite some time.
Widely considered two of the best custodians in the league, both Alisson and De Gea have saved loads of points for their respective teams this season. The Brazilian was directly responsible for sending the Reds into the Champions League knockouts with his point-blank save in the 90th minute against Napoli and will be flying high on confidence.
His Spanish counterpart had done enough to uphold his reputation over the past couple of seasons at Old Trafford but he’s not having the best campaign at the moment. We’ve seen a few mistakes from De Gea – like the one against Arsenal – which prove he’s only human but the Spaniard is still one of the best in the world and will be expected to put in a good display.
Mourinho’s Bus
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United is turning into a defensively oriented unit with a clear agenda of holding its ground at the back and trying to pinch a goal on the break. The Portuguese tactician seems to have perfected such an approach and it’s worked well for him – especially in big games like this one – so Jurgen Klopp will need to be particularly careful.
Liverpool are an outgoing side and would struggle to break the walls in the past. The Reds have changed a lot compared to previous season(s) but a mere look at the head-to-head record is enough to suggest that Liverpool tend to struggle to find their way to United’s goals.
The Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat last time out in the league at Old Trafford when Marcus Rashford hit them early on with a double and Liverpool failed to recover. Four successive stalemates before that match are also quite indicative and should be taken as a warning sign.
United’s Depleted Squad
Contrary to his default tactics, Jose Mourinho has been known to spring a surprise with an attacking line-up but that’s unlikely to be the case this time around. The reason for such a premise is simple – squad problems.
Manchester United are facing major injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool with Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindeloff, Matteo Darmian, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot all racing against time to be fit for the game. The fact Marcus Rojo has been definitely ruled out by a fresh setback against Valencia means Jose Mourinho could be forced into fielding a three-man backline.
Red Devils’ backline will be given a difficult task with trying to keep Liverpool’s front three quiet. Moiurinho has been shuffling his defence line and changing it a lot this season which resulted in lack of consistency in the back. New selection problems and a depleted squad could only spell trouble for the aforementioned David De Gea.
Complacency
Liverpool will feel pretty confident heading into the derby. Champions League progression has done wonders to the team’s morale and confidence. The Reds are also sitting at the Premier League summit with a point’s advantage over Manchester City. As the only remaining unbeaten side in English top flight, Liverpool will feel pretty confident the trend will continue on Sunday.
However, even though it hasn’t been the issue thus far, possible problem of complacency has to be taken into account. Even the slightest drop of guard could be catastrophic for the Reds and they know it. And with a busy festive schedule rushing forward, Liverpool should know better than to relax against Manchester United, knowing that tough tests are yet to come.
Klopp’s men play with Wolves next, then Newcastle and Arsenal. Every week feels like pivotal at the moment while the fans are already looking ahead to January 3rd when Reds lock horns with Manchester City in a possible title decider.
Derby’s Unpredictability
When it comes to games as big as this one, numbers can be pretty deceiving. Manchester United have largely struggled this season and trail their Sunday rivals by huge 16 points. Red Devils did break into the top six last week after rediscovering their scoring touch to beat Fulham 4-1 but were down to 14th place not too long ago.
The numbers are keeping the two sides apart but the current disparity in standings means little in derby matches. These games often go down the wire and can be solved by a moment of inspiration. Looking at the current state of affair, such inspiration is likely to come at the hand of Mohamed Salah who is Liverpool’s most in-form man at the moment.
Having scored a hat-trick at Bournemouth and bagged a winner against Napoli this week, the Egyptian will be particularly motivated to break United’s depleted defenses and help his team to another victory. He is, in fact, given 10/11 betting odds to get his name on the score line.
Can Salah break the most recent pattern and get his team the first win over United after a five-match winless run?
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