Man Utd vs. Liverpool: Prediction and Team news
Manchester United vs. Liverpool
Fearsome or Fearful Rivals? The North-West Derby May Commence!
Erik Den Haag and Jurgen Klopp may be in for the most important two hours of the season this coming Monday night, when respectively, their Manchester United and Liverpool clash at Old Trafford in the biggest English derby of all time, after a desperate and shaky start for the Red Devils and the Reds. For one of the two English giants, this game will have to be the third charm, after unexpectedly, both teams entered the new season unpromisingly, dropping points against the least expected opponents.
Although it was expected that the previous Ajax manager, Erik Den Haag, would bring a breath of fresh air at Old Trafford, the Dutchman faced the most disastrous start possible, with defeats to Brighton (1-2) and Brentford (4-0), which showed that it will be no simple task for the astute strategist to implement his tactical knowledge and expertise in Manchester United’s melancholic game. That’s why a victory, or even a point with a dignified and promising performance against the bitter rival, will be the reason for some fans to wake up the next morning with a pleasant dream, instead of the nightmares that the Theater of Dreams has become accustomed to. A good reason for such hope may be the recent activity in the transfer market shown by the Manchester team, who, like a bolt from the blue, in just 48 hours managed to agree and sign the inevitable established winner, Real Madrid’s legend, Mr. Reliable, Casemiro. The Brazilian has signed a deal that will initially keep him at Old Trafford until 2026, with the compensation paid by the Red Devils for his services in the region of £70m. The 30-year-old has been at Real Madrid since 2013, winning three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues, which is why fans will be expecting the Brazilian to bring a much-needed winning mentality that has been missing from the red side of Manchester for almost a decade. At the same time, it is interesting to follow the situation with the lightning-fast winger of Ajax, Anthony (22), who has been refusing to train with the rest of the Dutch team for several days, after Manchester United showed huge interest and already agreed on personal terms with the Brazilian, who is desperate to prove his potential in the Premier League.
On the other hand, although Jurgen Klopp blamed the dry pitch for the draw against Fulham (2-2), the German is aware that the two points out of two games at the start of the season speak of performances that cannot be compared to those of the last Premier League season. primarily because of the insufficient quality of his team’s performances, but also because of the much more competitive environment, i.e. the power and ability of the smaller teams, to show that they can keep a score against the “big boys”, after a large number of decent acquisitions they did this summer.
It must also be noted how much Sadio Mane is missed, who this summer, in a transfer worth 32 million Euros, decided to change his environment, after joining the Bundesliga giants and current champions Bayern, where he adapted well and is already recording matches that can be compared to those that have long been a cause of joy for Liverpool fans. A major handicap for Klopp ahead of tomorrow’s match with Manchester United is the absence of Darwin Nunez, who received a straight red card in the previous meeting against Crystal Palace (1-1) after headbutting the opposing player Andersen, a moment of stubborn outburst that could turn out to be crucial about the efficiency of Liverpool’s attack tomorrow evening. In addition to Nunez, who scored against Fulham in the match of the first round, Jota, Thiago, Jones, Konate, Matip, and Chamberlain will also be missing due to injuries, so the German expert will be in a great deal of trouble when it comes to assembling an acceptable first team, which will be able to face the Red Devils. Erik Den Haag, on the other hand, even though has a limited selection of players who showed any reason to play from the first minute, has no problems with injuries whatsoever, since, from the first team, only Lindelof is questionable for tomorrow’s game.
In their head-to-head history, Manchester United has a slight edge over Liverpool and has won 89 of the 237 matches played between the two teams, compared to Liverpool’s 80. Last season, Liverpool torpedoed the opponent on both occasions in the Premier League, with huge 0-5 and 4-0 wins both home and away, while this summer, in a pre-season friendly, Manchester United beat Liverpool 4-0, which at the time was a reason for false hope for the fans, as it turns out so far this season.
Regardless of all the numbers, when it comes to a derby of the magnitude of this eternal rivalry, precedents do not exist, so we expect the match between Manchester United and Liverpool to be a tight and hard-fought one. However, the disastrous performances on one side and the injuries on the other suggest a cautious and reserved entry into the match, in which counterattacks can play a key role. Manchester United’s recent form has been poor, so Liverpool will see them as a wounded animal, but improvement is expected and, at best, a game good enough for a consolation point that promises a brighter future and an acceptable season is considerable. We predict that the points will be split, with a score of 1-1 or 2-2.
When it comes to odds, on BLACK, the place where you have access to odds from 10 different bookmakers, on average, for Manchester to win, the odds hover around 5,419, for a draw – 4,338, while for Liverpool to win, the odds are 1,666.
We suggest a +1 Asian Handicap for Manchester United, as we believe a draw is a realistic outcome, and a large number of absences in Jurgen Klopp’s squad leave room for a bigger surprise as well.
You can find the most beneficial odds, offered for a wide variety of markets complimenting your betting strategy, at BetInAsia.
