The Red Devils are on fire. Powered by a five-game winning streak, Manchester United are back in the top three in the Premier League table ahead of their highly-anticipated clash with fellow English giants Liverpool. The Merseysiders are currently stuck in mid-table mediocrity, but they would want nothing more than to halt their hated rivals’ impressive run.
Read on below for our preview of this storied fixture. And for a different perspective on the upcoming Premier League weekend, check out our Weekly EPL picks column.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]It’s always a big deal any time fierce rivals Manchester United and Liverpool – the two most successful English clubs of all-time – lock horns. Opposing fans really don’t like each other, and neither do the opposing teams. This is a fixture that has seen nine red cards since 2007.
But aside from the inter-city animosity, both teams are also in need of all three points. For United, a win would extend their streak to six straight and would consolidate their position in the top three. And for Liverpool, a win could vault them up to the edge of the top five.
Betting on Manchester United
That’s five straight Premier League wins for Manchester United after becoming just the second team to beat Southampton at St. Mary’s this season. However, their 2-1 win was by no means impressive. They were grossly outshot, 15-3, while familiar problems at the back reared their ugly head.
As has become customary at seemingly every United game this season, they suffered yet another injury. This time, it was to defender Chris Smalling, who had been playing well ever since his sending off against Man City in the derby. That’s 43 injuries and counting for United on the season.
Losing Smalling would mean another change at the back for a United defense that has continued to look uncomfortable with manager Louis van Gaal’s preferred three-man defensive formation.
But a major bright spot for United was the form of striker Robin van Persie, who scored both goals with the team’s only two shots on target. After a rough start to the season, van Persie is finally starting to find his form of late with three goals in his last three games.
He and strike partner Wayne Rooney (two goals in his previous two games) will be eager to get after a Liverpool defense that has also had its shar of issues this season. They could also be joined in the United attack by Angel Di Maria, who could make his return from a hamstring injury suffered against Hull last week.
After struggling at home for most of last season, Old Trafford has once again been a fortress for United thus far this campaign. Since losing their first game of the season to Swansea, United are undefeated in their last seven at home with six wins and a draw, which came against leaders Chelsea.
Betting on Liverpool
An already disappointing season just got even worse for Liverpool after they were knocked out of the Champions League in midweek. They could only get a draw against Basel at Anfield in a game they needed to win to go through. On the bright side, the Reds can now focus solely on their Premier League performance, which still needs a lot of work.
Liverpool currently sit ninth in the table but are starting to show some signs of consistency, particularly at the back. They’re unbeaten in three straight games and have kept clean sheets in two of those games. The insertion of veteran defender Kolo Toure into the starting lineup in place of the horrendous Dejan Lovren has significantly changed their defensive solidity for the better.
But while they’ve found a way to concede less goals, they still have the problem of actually scoring themselves. With no Luis Suarez or Daniel Sturridge to carry them up front, Liverpool have scored just 19 goals thus far this season. Moreover, they haven’t scored more than one goal in the Premier League in seven games, and have received just one goal from a recognized striker during that time.
That said, the Reds may find some joy going forward against a United defense has not been healthy enough to find any sort of consistency this season. Despite a lengthy goal drought, Liverpool striker Raheem Sterling has continued to be a constant attacking threat and will give that United defense its share of problems.
Writer’s Prediction
United scores a sixth straight win with a 2-1 triumph over rivals Liverpool. Create a betting account now and score big betting on this massive English soccer rivalry.
