Manchester United vs Liverpool: Preview and Prediction
The countdown for the Premier League 2021-22 season begins as the English clubs are gearing up for the preparatory round ahead of the anticipated season. As a part of preparations, the Premier League clubs are traveling to Asian countries to play friendly games with each other and also with an aim to strengthen their Asian fanbase.
Thailand will be hosting the Red Derby between Manchester United and Liverpool on friendly terms at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday.
Liverpool had a great 2021-22 campaign where they participated in four competitions in which they won two and finished as runners-up in the other two. The Reds emerged victorious in domestic cup competitions FA Cup and EFL Cup while missing out shortly on the glory of Premier League and UEFA Champions League. At one point, the quadruple dream seemed like a possible reality for the Liverpool fans but unfortunately, it ended the other way around.
The Red Devils had a forgettable previous season where they collapsed miserably in each and every competition they participated in. The United side is going to miss out on the UCL action as they will be participating in the tier-two European competition UEFA Europa League where they clinched their last trophy in 2016-17. Hence these friendly fixtures are vital ones for the Manchester Reds as they are aiming to stage a grand comeback in the forthcoming season.
How has the Summer Transfer window fared?
The Dutch gaffer Erik ten Hag has arrived at Old Trafford along with his progressive ideology and intended major changes in the United roster. The contract extensions of numerous players were denied by the club as the big names such as Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, and Nemanja Matic left them as free agents. The former Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia has accepted the Dutchman’s invitation to join him at Old Trafford and is expected to be followed by many more very soon.
Anfield welcomes Darwin Nunez
Jurgen Klopp will have to rebuild the forward line of the Liverpool side after the departure of Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, and Takumi Minamino. The Senegalese winger Mane who played a pivotal role in the Reds’ revelation to the Domestic and European glory has left the camp to join Bundesliga outfit FC Bayern Munich for the transfer fee of £27.5 million. And the recruitment for the offensive artillery of Merseyside Reds has already begun with the arrival of Darwin Nunez from Benfica for £65 million.
Head to Head Record
There have been in total 209 meetings between these two combatants in English top-flight football. And the head-to-head count is currently 81-70 in favor of the Red Devils while a whopping number of 58 encounters concluded on resultless outcomes. The United side couldn’t get the better of Liverpool in their last eight Premier League fixtures as Erik ten Hag will be aiming to accomplish it in his very first game as in charge.
The biggest troublemaker for the United defense
Both of their fixtures of the EPL 2021-22 season were conquered by Jurgen Klopp’s Army and that too in a one-sided manner. A 5-0 outcome at Old Trafford and a 4-0 Anfield victory meant that LFC fetched an astonishing number of nine goals while their counterparts couldn’t even score a single goal. Five out of those nine goals were alone scored by the Egyptian star Mohamed Salah who will be once again out on the hunt at Rajamangala Stadium.
Team News
Harry Maguire will continue to wear the prestigious captain’s armband while Raphael Varane is set to be appointed as his deputy. The 31-member squad which has traveled to Thailand does not feature the name of Cristiano Ronaldo as the star forward’s future with the Red Devils is still unclear. We will also get to see the likes of Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial, and James Garner donning the Manchester colors after the completion of their loan stints.
On the other hand, the Merseyside Reds are currently training with a 37-member roster ahead of the United fixture at Bangkok. The training camp also features members who belong to the Liverpool Academy and are gracing the first team through youth ranks. Mohamed Salah who just announced his contract extension with the Reds was absent in their camp at AXA Training Centre but joined the squad in time.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Manchester United (4-3-3): David De Gea; Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Scott McTominay, Fred, Bruno Fernandes; Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga, Marcus Rashford
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andrew Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Luiz Diaz
Prediction
The main purpose of this fixture for both clubs will be to get the formation and tactics right before the commencement of the English top-flight league. Hence both sides will be adopting a performance-oriented approach for this encounter without giving a second thought to scoreline outcomes. Although Liverpool will have the upper hand of having the same core along with a familiar gaffer while there will be a lot of changes in the United camp.