Manchester United’s fixture against Liverpool - one of most anticipated fixtures of the Premier League season – now brings along two completely contrary premonitions. At one end of the spectrum, there’s a team that is yet to lose a league game since January 2019, currently cruising on an incredible 17 consecutive league wins. The other team though has failed to build on an early momentum and sits two points adrift of the relegation area.
Sunday’s fixture at Old Trafford offers Jurgen Klopp’s team an opportunity to equal a Premier League record of most consecutive victories - 18 by Manchester City – and thus secure further bragging rights. For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer though, it is more about staying in the hunt and aiming for acquiring one of the four Champions League spots; which at this very moment seems nothing but a lucid dream.
Klopp on Solskjaer: "It's not important what you write. It's important what the board and Woodward tell him. I have no opinion. I'd like every manager in the world to have as much time as possible to change things. But you can't compare situations to when I came in and he did."
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) October 18, 2019
What are the injury updates?
Liverpool have been bolstered by the return of goalkeeper Alisson Becker and defender Joel Matip. The Brazilian stopper has been out of action since suffering a calf injury in Liverpool’s opening fixture against Norwich. The centre-back, on the other hand, sustained a knock against Sheffield United in late September, missing his team’s two subsequent fixtures.
😁 @Alissonbecker 😁 pic.twitter.com/X5eq7xL9vK
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 15, 2019
The duo returned to training at Melwood on Tuesday and it is said that they are in contention to appear in the starting XI.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah continued his recovery by training separately from the team to recover from an ankle injury he picked against Leicester and has been given the green light to feature on Sunday.
Manchester United, on the other hand, doesn’t enjoy a similar luxury. They do have possible returns in Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof, but it remains to be seen who amongst them can actually make it to the first XI.
“Of course I would like to tell you positive news. Hopefully, we’ll see on Sunday who’s come through the last two sessions because there are players that just started training on the verge of coming back so can’t really say,” said Solskjaer.
Solskjær: "I remember when Jürgen [Klopp] came in, if we compare, he also seemed to get a few injuries early on because maybe the workload and intensity he wanted to play in. You don't see that anymore, he can play with the same 11 every week. We'll get there." #mulive
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 18, 2019
Read | Why Liverpool-United rivalry is bigger than Manchester derby
Lindelof, meanwhile, started against Spain for Sweden on Tuesday, while Martial resumed full training this week after missing seven-and-a-half week of action. For Pogba, it is said that his situation will be examined during the course, and the Liverpool fixture might come too soon for a return.
Martin Atkinson will be the man in charge for #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/8Xw9nMIj4r
— Tactical Masterstroke (@tactitian_m) October 16, 2019
The biggest setback for United, however, remains the fact that keeper David de Gea limped off the field during Tuesday’s fixture and he alongside Pogba has been ruled out of the game. The Spaniard pulled an apparent hamstring while clearing a back pass during his team’s 1-1 draw against Sweden.
“Don’t expect him (de Gea) to play but wasn’t as bad as feared. When I saw the game, I thought that’s him out until the next international break but it’s not as bad as we feared.”
What do the facts suggest?
Antiquity hardly carries any significance in fixtures like these. However, if we are to jot down the figures of the days of old, Liverpool come out as the second-best given that they have only won a solitary fixture at Old Trafford in the post-Ferguson era.
In fact, United have won five of the last ten league encounters against Liverpool and have lost just once.
Manchester United have never lost a 90-minute game of football at Old Trafford with Sergio Romero in goal. (P22 W17 D5 L0). #MUFC #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/vdUeKGWpsX
— RedReveal (@RedReveal) October 15, 2019
United are one of few teams who stopped Liverpool’s pursuit of winning their first Premier league title last season, playing out a stalemate 0-0 draw in February. Solskjaer’s current team though is a mere shadow of what held Liverpool at Old Trafford that day. Three amongst the February’s starting XI – Romelu Lukaku, Ander Herrera and Chris Smalling – have left the club while others have been either struggling with injuries or consistency.
It is safe to say that United’s bid to become the first team to take a point from Liverpool this season is a long shot. And given their further frailties, which includes below par midfielders, except them to adapt a rather cautious approach rather than going all-out for full points.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Oli Scarff
