Premier league, round 22

Liverpool vs Manchester United, Match Preview, TV & Live Stream Information, Predicted Lineups

One of the fiercest rivalries in the Premier League gives us a Sunday spectacle as Liverpool host Manchester United.

By Daniel Cole

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Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been highly inconsistent this season, but with the fans fired up this is a game neither can allow to lose.

Liverpool’s huge fixture pile up has taken a toll on their roster and Jurgen Klopp is having headaches in assembling his starting XI. The Red Devils arrive with an extra day off having played Newcastle on Tuesday, while the Reds took on league leaders Arsenal on Wednesday. The only morale boosting thing for the home side is that they put in a brave performance against the Gunners, salvaging a point with Joe Allen’s 90′ minute strike. The game ended 3-3, just like that of Newcastle and Manchester, but the Red Devils were the ones to see a win slip through their hands conceding in injury time. The Reds are still adjusting to the German’s regime and is well known that he has some squad changes in mind come the end of the season, but as this one goes Liverpool don’t seem likely to snap out of their roller coaster ride and gain some forward momentum.

Manchester seemed to getting their campaign back on track after they recorded back-to-back wins against Swansea and Sheffield United, but a 3-3 draw against Newcastle has once again highlighted that Red Devils are a shadow of a team they were under Alex Ferguson. Louis van Gaal is very well aware that a defeat at Anfield Road could mark an end of his tenure, and is under serious pressure as he prepares for the match. One of the rare positives that he can draw from the start of 2016 is the fact that Wayne Rooney is coming back to his best. United have struggled in finding the back of the net, and have justly been labeled as boring United, something that could quickly change if Rooney keeps up his form.

The reverse fixture at Old Trafford saw Manchester beat Liverpool 3-1, and Reds will certainly be looking for a revenge.

Match facts

  • Manchester United have won six of their last eight Barclays Premier League meetings with Liverpool (L2) and two of the last four at Anfield (W2 D1 L1).
  • Man Utd scored with all three of their shots on target in the reverse fixture played this season.
  • Juan Mata has scored three goals and assisted four more in his last six league appearances against Liverpool.
  • Only Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur (19) has seen more penalties awarded in BPL history than this fixture (18).
  • Liverpool have lost 11 times at home to Man Utd, more defeats than against any other visitor in the competition.
  • Wayne Rooney will be looking to score in four successive matches for Manchester United for the first time since March 2012.
  • Rooney (175 goals for Man Utd) is now level with Thierry Henry (175 for Arsenal) for the most goals for a single club in BPL history.
  • Christian Benteke has scored in his last three league outings against Manchester United, but has lost two and drawn one of these three matches.

Head to head

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Team news

No defensive boost for Liverpool as Dejan Lovren struggles for fitness. The 26-year-old is a player reborn under Klopp, and has picked up fans player of the month award for December. Given the Reds injury crisis, his return is eagerly anticipated. Liverpool will also be without Martin Skrtel, Divock Origi and key playmaker Philippe Coutinho. Daniel Sturridge is unlikely to make a return, while Danny Ings and Joe Gomez remain long-term absentees. Steven Caulker has been drafted in on loan and could make a feature.

As for United, they must do without Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nick Powell, while Phil Jones has a good chance of recovering from a foot problem. Juan Mata was dropped to the bench against Newcastle after playing in a lot of matches in quick succession and is likely to return to the starting XI.

Probable Line-ups

Liverpool: Simon Mignolet; Steven Caulker, Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho, Emre Can, Jordan Henderson, Jordon Ibe, Adam Lallana, James Milner, Roberto Firmino

Manchester United: David de Gea; Matteo Darmian, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ashley Young, Memphis Depay, Anthony Martial, Wayne Rooney

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Referee: Mark Clattenburg

TV: BT Sport

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra