Prediction: Liverpool vs Manchester United

It took Liverpool a lot of hard work to come into a position to climb to the Premiership top 4 and what better way to do it than defeating bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield. The Red Devils are aware they can make a giant step towards Champions League qualification by winning at Merseyside, but they need to be wary of high-flying Reds.

Liverpool have done a tremendous job to revive their Champions League hopes after the dismal start to the season, but some impressive performances won’t matter much if the Reds eventually miss out on a top 4 finish. Having successfully overcome Southampton and Spurs in the overall standings, the next task is to dislodge arch rivals Manchester United from the fourth position and it would appear as though Brendan Rodgers’ men are in good stead to succeed in their quest. While their performances in other competitions did leave something to be desired, Liverpool have been playing at a very high level in the Premiership, winning last five and eight of last nine matches. The fact that the Reds only conceded in two of those games is another reason for optimism as team’s usually shake back line appears to be very difficult to break at the moment. Liverpool were on the back foot for large periods of the match against Swansea, but they, nonetheless, managed to record a very important win, showing they can also win ugly when needed. Captain Steven Gerrard returned into action at Liberty Stadium, but he is likely to remain on the bench with both Henderson and Allen thoroughly impressive. Lucas Leiva returns after a five-week spell on the sidelines, but he will probably not be used in such a high-profile encounter.

Manchester United’s results have improved significantly after the disappointing start to the season, but everybody could see that Louis van Gaal’s charges were not playing to their potential. I dare say the Red Devils were quite fortunate to remain in top 4 all this time having largely struggled in some matches, but they have finally produced a performance that was expected of them. Manchester United hammered Tottenham 3-0, restricting Spurs to just a handful of shots on goal, and it was definitely not surprising that Michael Carrick played a key role in the convincing triumph. We could see just how much the England international means to this team and if United are to stand any chance of securing Champions League qualification, they will need Carrick to stay injury-free until the league campaign ends. Nevertheless, with main creative outlet Angel Di Maria completely out of form and Robin van Persie still out injured, I doubt the visitors will be able to repeat the performance from seven days ago. Defensive problems also continue to mount, with Jonny Evans still banned and neither Luke Shaw nor Marcos Rojo expected to start.

Conclusion

Liverpool will finally get a proper reward for all the hard work if they defeat Manchester United on Sunday and I can definitely see the Reds extending their winning run. The Red Devils have finally produced a near-perfect showing, but one swallow does not a summer make.

Verdict: Home win Liverpool (1)

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: William Hill