ENGLAND: Premier League
Date: 24-10-21
Time: 4:30 PM
Venue: Old Trafford (Manchester)
England’s two most successful clubs are set to battle it out in one of the nation’s biggest rivalries, but at least the pressure has been momentarily taken off Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, after his side came from 2-0 down at home to beat Atalanta in midweek European action. United still have many improvements to make however if a title challenge is to materialise, having now gone winless in their last three Premier League (PL) outings (D1, L2).
Even the fortress that is Old Trafford is starting to show cracks, with the ‘Red Devils’ only picking up eight points in their last seven home PL matches, and failing to keep a clean sheet in their last nine home league games (W4, D2, L3) – their longest such run since February 1971! That includes a 4-2 loss to Liverpool in May, which extended their run to just one win from their ten previous PL matches against their fierce rivals (D6, L3).
Liverpool will be gunning for back-to-back league victories at Old Trafford for the first time since January 2002, with Jürgen Klopp’s men full of confidence having earned a hardfought 3-2 win over Spanish champions Atlético Madrid in midweek. Liverpool are currently 18 league games unbeaten (W13, D5), the best such streak in England’s top-four tiers, and doing so in style having netted 22 goals already this PL campaign.
The men from Merseyside have been in devastating form away from home lately, having scored 3+ goals in their last five PL road games. In fact, the ‘Reds’ have lost just two of their last 21 PL away matches (W12, D7), a record that sees them travel to Old Trafford as favourites as their title charge begins to pick up steam.
Players to watch: Marcus Rashford is second only to Wayne Rooney for PL goals scored against Liverpool by a United player with four goals in eight appearances. However, Mohamed Salah is looking to become the first Liverpool player to score in three successive away games against United.
Recent Stats:
- Manchester Utd’s form in last 5 matches: WLDWL.
- Liverpool’s form in last 5 matches: WWDWD.
PREDICTION: Away Win and Over 1.5
