Sport
HIGH STAKES – MANCHESTER UNITED VS LIVERPOOL
Manchester United vs Liverpool is always the Premier League’s standout fixture and this weekend’s latest meeting between the two rivals could be crucial for their hopes for the rest of the season.
It is one of the biggest games in world football and there is more than just bragging rights at stake at such a crucial juncture of the season.
The two most successful clubs in England will locks horns in the 50th Premier League meeting between the two sides and the outcome of the result is critical for the progress of both clubs.
Manchester United are beginning to find their feet under Jose Mourinho’s stewarship winning their last nine games and are currently on their longest unbeaten run this decade – going 15 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Liverpool on the other hand come into the game off the back of a defeat to Southampton in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, but have lost two games in the Premier League all season.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are are the closest challengers to league leaders Chelsea and victory at Old Trafford could be a watershed moment for their title challenge.
Liverpool could go into the game eight points behind Chelsea should they beat Leicester knowing they have no margin for any slip-ups.
Victory at the home of their arch-rivals would give them a massive confidence boost for the rest of the season as they look to end their long wait for a Premier League title.
While for United and Mourinho the game provides them with the opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the Premier League that they are going in the right way under the Portuguese.
After a slow start under Mourinho United are beginning to show a real swagger and are starting to live up to the expectations that was thrust upon them following their massive outlay in the summer transfer market.
We will know more about United’s progress under Mourinho after the clash with Liverpool as it will be a real litmus test for the revitalised United.
The first meeting of the two sides this season will not live long in the memory as Mourinho set up his side to frustrate Liverpool at Anfield and both sides had to settle for a point after a goalless draw in October.
This game appears to offer a lot more with both sides in good form and looking to make inroads in the Premier League title race.
The tactical battle between both managers will be crucial as Mourinho has now seemed to have worked out his best team and United are playing their best football of the season.
United are now playing a 4-3-3 system rather than the 4-2-3-1 Mourinho initially used at the start of the season and it is getting the best out of his top players Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Klopp will stick with his trusted 4-3-3 formation, but the absence of Sadio Mane, who is away on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, will be felt by the Merseysiders as the forward has been a revelation since his summer move from Southampton.
The German boasts an impressive record in his six previous meetings with Mourinho – winning three of his six matches against Mourinho’s teams, and losing only once.
Neither side will not want to lose Sunday’s encounter not just because of the importance of this fixture historically, but also within the context of one of the most competitive Premier League seasons for years when defeat could seriously make or break one of their campaigns.
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