Manchester United vs Liverpool Match Preview

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This weekend offers up one of the biggest meetings of any Premier League season as Manchester United and Liverpool play out another instalment in the long-standing rivalry between these two clubs at Old Trafford.

Recently there has been a lot of chopping and changing in the battle to finish second behind Manchester City at the end of the campaign, as the race to become the ‘best of the rest’ picks up pace.

The outcome of this game could go a long way to defining just who will finish runners-up, but also should the fixture present a winner then it will no doubt solidify that particular teams hopes of returning to the Champions League next autumn.

Liverpool were in European action on Tuesday night as they were held by Portuguese league leaders FC Porto at Anfield. The final score may well have been 0-0 but with the work already done in the first leg it was a case of not needing to break a sweat this time around.

While Manchester United were in domestic action just 24 hours prior, they eventually came out on top against relegation battling Crystal Palace, but they were certainly made to work for all three points, especially after finding themselves 2-0 down at one stage.

It was a United comeback of old as their never say die attitude was rewarded when Nemanja Matic scored an injury time winner for the Red Devils. It was perhaps a result that was harsh on Roy Hodgson’s men, but his opposite number Jose Mourinho will have no time for sympathy.

That is because it was a result that saw his side leapfrog Liverpool and move back into second in the league table. A result that tips the balance in their favour going into Saturday lunchtime’s titanic clash between the two North West footballing giants.

For the home side the fixture now becomes more of a do not lose than opposed to a must win, while for the visitors it now looks as if Jurgen Klopp is going to have to deploy his brand of ‘rock and roll football’ once more.

When the two teams met earlier in the season, it is fair to say that it was a particularly dour clash and one that failed to live up to expectations. United fans can point to that game and say it was a defensive masterclass, while others will accuse the club of lacking any imagination away from home.

Mourinho is undoubtedly known for his pragmatic tactics and is a great believer of results over style, while his Liverpool counterpart Klopp is known for a more gung-ho attitude, this means we are set for something of a styles clash come the tail end of the week

But ultimately which of these styles will come out on top, if United are deployed with a more safety-first outlook then it might not make for the most entertaining of fixtures, but if it is a game plan that sees them come out on top then the ends will justify the means.

Liverpool have by far the better attacking unit of the two, on the flipside though United have the better defence. Something will have to give, although that said their last four meetings have ended in a draw, so the form book may well be thrown out of the window once more.

When the dust has settled at full time we will have a much better idea of the top four landscape, a draw may well give the two sides an additional point to their tallies but with Tottenham hot on both their heels it could also blow proceedings wide open.

Liverpool come into this game having picked up 13 points from a possible 15, with only a dramatic draw at home to Tottenham stopping them from not winning all of their last five Premier League outings.

While Manchester United form has been slightly more indifferent with four wins and two defeats from their last six, that said their form at home has been much better as last season’s Europa League winners have picked up four wins and two draws.

On the reverse if you were to look at Liverpool’s efforts on the road then it would point to four wins, a draw and a defeat. There is not a great deal of difference between the two but with home advantage in their favour it could well be United that come out on top at full time, a win that would solidify second place in the Premier League table.