They may not come from the same city but there are few fiercer rivalries in English football than that between Liverpool and Manchester United. The teams first locked horns in 1894 when United still went by the name of Newton Heath. Liverpool won the first two encounters but it is Manchester United who edge it in the all-time record with 69 wins to Liverpool’s 60. United have also scored more goals with 238 strikes compared to the 226 that Liverpool have mustered.
The first meeting between these two this season ended with a comprehensive 3-0 win for Manchester United at Old Trafford. On Sunday the away side will be looking to do the double with a win at Anfield which will be revenge for Liverpool’s two league wins last season. If Man United are to win, they will need to upset the form book. Brendan Rodgers’ side haven’t lost since that game at Old Trafford, that’s an impressive 13 game run.
In that run, Liverpool have only conceded eight goals thanks in no small part to Rodgers’ decision to stick with a back three. Rodgers is also having his decision to drop Simon Mignolet from the side vindicated as the goalkeeper has returned to the team in top form. A strong defensive record has also been one of the plus points for Manchester United this season. Louis van Gaal’s team have not played well for much of this season but only two teams have a better record in terms of goals conceded. A quick look at the teams would have you believe that they were both top heavy but the defences are outperforming the more illustrious names of the attacks.
If both teams are defending well but not scoring as many as they’d like, the key battle may come in the midfield. If that is the case, you would have to think that Liverpool have the edge. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho have had better seasons than those in the Manchester United midfield. That may be down to Van Gaal’s tactical changes. The Dutchman was unable to settle on the best formation to play early on in the season and recently he has been pretty much bypassing the midfield altogether by getting his players to play the sort of direct, wing-based football that brought Alex Ferguson such success.
Liverpool v Manchester United Betting Tips
- Full-time draw – Liverpool are definitely the in-form team but Manchester United have developed a knack of looking poor but coming away from places with positive results. At 5/2 with BetVictor, the draw looks an intriguing option for two teams who, on paper, could cancel each other out.
- Liverpool +0.5 – Liverpool are favourites for the match so if you want to back a winner, look to Bet365’s Asian handicap market. If you take the firm’s 3/10 that Liverpool will win with a +0.5 goal advantage applied you can profit if they win or draw.
- Wayne Rooney to score – The England captain will be bracing himself for a typically ‘warm’ welcome from the Liverpool fans. Having played for Everton and Manchester United, he is not the most popular figure at Anfield. However, he has shown in the past that he can raise his game when singled out and he is scoring regularly of late so back him to net in this one at 7/4 with Coral.