Liverpool are aiming to end their three-game losing streak when they welcome arch rivals Manchester United to Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Reds endured a traumatic week prior to the international break, sinking to defeats away at Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea—two of which came courtesy of stoppage-time goals for their hosts. Their run of underwhelming results and performances has seen them surrender top spot in the Premier League, placing them under increasing pressure.
Victory this weekend is of paramount importance to Liverpool following their recent reality check, with the added bonus of bragging rights on the line for Arne Slot’s side. On paper, they will be strong favourites against United, who are still struggling for consistency under Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils are still awaiting back-to-back Premier League wins under the Portuguese manager, but can get that particular monkey off their back this weekend. They won their last outing prior to the international period, producing one of the better performances of the Amorim era in their 2–0 win over Sunderland.
But United, who have suffered some humiliating defeats to Liverpool over recent years, still understand the scale of their assignment on Sunday afternoon. A draw would likely be welcomed with open arms by Amorim and his players.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the fixture.
What Time Does Liverpool vs. Man Utd Kick Off?
- Location: Liverpool, England
- Stadium: Anfield
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 19
- Kick-off Time: 4.30 p.m. BST / 11.30 a.m. ET / 8.30 a.m. PT
- Referee: Michael Oliver
- VAR: Darren England
Liverpool vs. Man Utd Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Liverpool: 1 win
- Man Utd: 1 win
- Draws: 3
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Liverpool vs. Man Utd on TV, Live Stream
Liverpool Team News
Slot has confirmed that both Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konaté are available this weekend after injury scares. The former is fit despite suffering a slight hamstring injury on international duty, while the latter has recovered from a thigh issue sustained against Chelsea before the break.
However, Liverpool will be forced to continue without Alisson in between the sticks, with Slot revealing he’s still unavailable with injury. The Brazilian will be replaced once again by Giorgi Mamardashvili—an excellent deputy.
Youngsters Giovanni Leoni and Stefan Bajčetić are missing for the Reds, but Wataru Endō should be available in some capacity despite missing Japan’s international friendlies.
Alexis Mac Allister might start on the bench this weekend after scoring twice in Argentina’s rearranged friendly with Puerto Rico in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd
Liverpool predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Man Utd Team News
United don’t have many injuries for the trip to Anfield, with long-term absentee Lisandro Martínez their only guaranteed absentee on Sunday. The Argentine is close to returning to full team training after eight months out, but is not yet ready to make his comeback.
Amorim has revealed he’s unsure whether Noussair Mazraoui will be available for the Liverpool game, with the Morocco international having been sidelined for recent matches with club and country.
Ayden Heaven is a slight doubt after sustaining a knock on international duty with England’s Under-20s, but he’s unlikely to feature prominently regardless of injury.
Senne Lammens is certain to start in goal after his terrific performance against Sunderland two weeks ago.
Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool
Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Liverpool (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Šeško.
Liverpool vs. Man Utd Score Prediction
Despite Liverpool’s superiority over United in recent years, they have only won one of their previous five clashes with their rivals. However, they have beaten the Red Devils 7–0, 5–0 and 4–0 since the start of 2022, and they have the capacity to inflict another chastening defeat on Amorim’s strugglers.
Whether they can rack up a hefty scoreline at Anfield depends on which iteration of United we witness. They are super inconsistent and have yet to win on the road this season—hardly encouraging ahead of a trip to the reigning champions.
Liverpool have been a shadow of last season’s swashbuckling title-winners this term, but should still have the quality to take all three points this weekend. This could be just the match they need to re-energise themselves.
Prediction: Liverpool 2–1 Man Utd
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool vs. Man Utd: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.