Liverpool host Manchester United in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off.
Kenny Dalglish’s side have made a decent start to their campaign but this weekends encounter will be a test of how far the Reds have come under the Scot.
Champions
The Champions have started their campaign in stellar form and are currently top of the Premier League. They have looked like prospective champions already. When they clinched the title last season Manchester United jumped above Liverpool as the most successful club in English football.
Challenge
This will be a challenging game for both teams. Anfield is one of the toughest stadiums to visit for opposition teams but United are one of the hardest teams to beat at any ground. Liverpool have won games at Arsenal and Everton so far this season but playing against United is a whole different matter.
When the Reds defeated Arsenal they were in complete disarray. And when the Reds defeated Everton Jack Rodwell was wrongly sent-off after just 23 minutes. These circumstances made Liverpool’s opponents vulnerable.
Manchester United will probably head to Merseyside with a fully-fit squad and very few vulnerabilities. United are not invincible but they have started their campaign in fantastic form.
Title
Its very early to be talking about title contenders and where teams will finish up in the Premier League, but if Liverpool really want to challenge for the title this is a must win game for them. Only in the sense that it will boost the morale of the players and increase the belief amongst the players.
I don’t think Liverpool will win the title but a win would help the team believe that they could. A challenge for a top four berth is a much more realistic ambition for Dalglish’s men.
Chants
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has called on both sets of supporters to stop the disgusting chants about Hillsborough and Munich. As the Scot says it does either club any credit and only serves to create an even more volatile atmosphere amongst the fans.
Contrary to what Bill Shankly might have said football isn’t more important than life. Football is just a game or an obsession to some of us. However most right minded supporters would condemn the disgusting chants on both sides of the divide.
Fired-up
Anyway back to the football and Liverpool know that United will be fired up for this one and will be going full pelt for victory. There is one man in particular that will be fired up for this game and that’s former-Everton star Wayne Rooney.
His fiery temperament may be what makes him such a good player but it also gets him into trouble, as we all saw in Montenegro. The sending-off could work two ways for the United star. It could give him motivation or he could respond in a negative manner.
I’m sure the Liverpool players are well aware of how to wind the striker up and will be trying every trick in the book to put him off his game. However if he performs how he has done so far in the Premier League he will be hard to stop.
Defence
Liverpool’s defence hasn’t been the best in recent months and they do give you chances. Manchester United’s defence have also looked slightly questionable in recent months. These two factors add up to a very attacking game tomorrow lunchtime.
Confident
Both sides will head into this contest confident of winning. However I think the most likely result in this clash will be a draw. It could be a very entertaining game though with attacks on top hopefully.
I just hope that after the game everybody is talking about the football played and not a questionable decision by an official. Too many Premier League games are ruined by poor officials and hopefully tomorrow’s game will be free of any controversy. May the best team win!
Who will come out on top between Liverpool and Manchester United?
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