The pick of this weekend’s Premiership fixtures comes in the form of a mouthwatering Round 18 clash between Liverpool and Manchester United. The two great North-West rivals will do battle this weekend at Anfield over the weekend, and this is the first time in nearly 8 years that United are top of the table after New Years’ Eve, which makes this fixture all the more enthralling.
United beat Burnley 1-0 in their re-arranged fixture in midweek, thus opening a three point gap over defending champions Liverpool in the table. The Reds were also away from home in their last league game but fell to a shock loss to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton. They’ve however had more than a week to recover from that defeat though, and will be keen to get back to winning ways against United here.
For United, this is a golden opportunity to prove their title credentials. Much criticism was laid at the feet of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, especially after their shock Champions League exit, but they’ve managed to string together a set of results that has surprised even their harshest critics. A win here will see them go six points clear of the defending champions and will be a result that really marks them as genuine contenders. Anfield is perhaps the toughest place to travel to in the league currently, and should Solskjaer pull off a win, we reckon there’ll be plenty of United fans celebrating at Comeoncasino.net and other places online during this lockdown period.
Liverpool will be sweating on the fitness of defender Joel Matip. If he’s fit to play, he will slot alongside Fabinho in defence, which will allow skipper Jordan Henderson, a player former United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign several years ago, play in his more familiar midfield role. Should Matip not be fit and Klopp not want to disturb a Henderson-Wijnaldum-Thiago midfield trio, an option could be to ask Nat Phillips or Rhys Williams to play at centre back, but the duo’s lack of experience could count against them, especially in a fixture that has so much riding on it.
Like Klopp, OGS has a decision to make at CB- play Eric Bailly or go with Victor Lindelof. The rest of his team bears a more settled look, with Edinson Cavani expected to continue seeing action from the bench.
Another factor in this game could be the appointment of Paul Tierney as referee. Tierney’s already been in charge of 2 LFC games this season- their 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the goalless stalemate against Newcastle at St.James Park. He was also the man in the middle when United triumphed 3-1 over Everton at Goodison Park in November.
In the eleven PL games Tierney’s refereed this season, not one has been won by the home team, a stat which will be music to the ears of Red Devils boss Solskjaer. Tierney’s last four games have all been draws, and that’s a result that will do just as fine for the United gaffer at Anfield.
