On Sunday, 7th April, within the scope of the EPL's 32nd round, Manchester United will host Liverpool on their home ground. Unbelievably, the Mancunians lost 4:3 to Chelsea last Thursday, while the Merseysiders, routing Sheffield, reclaimed their top position in the general score.
Manchester United: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Kambwala, Dalot; McTominay, Mainu; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Endo, Soboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Dias.
Manchester United has been struggling to live up to fans' expectations this season and seems to have lost all chances to make it to the Champions League. Placed sixth in the Premier League table, the "Red Devils" strive for a ticket to the less prestigious UEFA competitions. Regrettably, the recent weeks show a poor performance as seen in their sole victory amid three defeats in the last five rounds. Last weekend, Manchester United drew 1:1 with Brentford, and this week they lost to Chelsea, conceding 2 goals in added time (4:3) – Cole Palmer scored the double on the 99th and 101st minutes. To top it off, the Mancunians have claimed just one victory in the last five EPL games at Old Trafford, gaining only four points during this period.
On the bright side, Erik ten Hag's side beat Liverpool in the FA Cup (4-3 after extra time) and will face Coventry in the semi-final. Manchester United's squad remains without key defenders Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, and Lindelof, who joined the injured reserve list along with substitute goalkeeper Bayindiru, Malasia, and Martial. The Argentinian winger Garnacho (7 goals and 3 assists), who scored twice at Stamford Bridge this week, is likely to return to the starting lineup; playmaker Bruno Fernandes (5 goals and 6 assists), Rashford (7 goals and 2 assists), and Hojlund (7 goals and 2 assists) will assist him. Unquestionably one of the season's breakthroughs, the England national team's new central midfielder Kobby Mainu (18 years old), will probably join a partnership with Casemiro in the middle of the pitch.
In Jurgen Klopp's last season as Liverpool's coach, the Merseysiders have set their sights on winning the Premier League. At the moment, the visitors are leading the standings, surpassing the trailing Arsenal by 2 points. After the 3:1 defeat to the "Gunners" early February, the Reds haven't succumbed in the league (6 wins and 1 draw). Following a draw at Anfield with Manchester City (1:1), Liverpool have beaten Brighton last weekend (2:1) and Sheffield United, currently in the last place, this week (3:1). Darwin Nunez opened the score at the start of their match, yet Conor Bradley unfortunately sent the ball into his own team's net. Still, Alexis Mac Allister pulled the Reds ahead again with a powerful strike from outside the box, and Cody Gakpo resolved all doubt. The team also won the League Cup in February and keeps taking part in the Europa League: it's hosting Atalanta in the first quarterfinal game on Thursday.
Liverpool's squad remains without goalkeeper Alisson, defender Alexander-Arnold, key winger Diogo Jota, and also Matip, Thiago Alcantara, and Baicetic - all of them are injured. The Japanese midfielder Endo was also out this week, and the decision about his participation will be made just before kick-off. Cody Gakpo (6 goals and 3 assists) gets substituted more often and managed to score in the last round, although the attacking trio will undeniably consist of Salah (16 goals and 9 assists), Luis Dias (7 goals and 4 assists), and Nunez (11 goals and 7 assists). Argentinian midfielder Mac Allister (4 goals and 5 assists) orchestrates the Reds' midfield, while Van Dijk and Konate fortify the defense center.
Despite the scoreless draw with Man United at Anfield in the first round, the "Red Devils" recently knocked the Merseysiders out of the FA Cup quarter-final (4:3).
Erik ten Hag's charges are psychologically in the dumps after the dramatic fiasco at Stamford Bridge, and there is no doubt that Liverpool will want to take revenge on their recent offenders for the FA Cup exit. The Merseysiders continue to fight for the championship title, they simply cannot afford to fail - Arsenal is lagging behind by only 2 points in the table. The visitors are currently in much better form and should emerge victorious.
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Liverpool | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 29:11 | 35 | |
2 | Chelsea | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 31:15 | 28 | |
3 | Arsenal | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 28:14 | 28 | |
4 | Manchester City | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 25:19 | 26 | |
5 | Brighton | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 22:17 | 23 | |
6 | Nottingham | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 16:16 | 22 | |
7 | Aston Villa | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 22:23 | 22 | |
8 | Tottenham | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 28:14 | 20 | |
9 | Brentford | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 27:26 | 20 | |
10 | Newcastle | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 17:17 | 20 | |
11 | Manchester Utd | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 17:15 | 19 | |
12 | Fulham | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 18:18 | 19 | |
13 | Bournemouth | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 20:19 | 18 | |
14 | West Ham | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -9 | 18:27 | 15 | |
15 | Everton | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | -7 | 14:21 | 14 | |
16 | Leicester | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -9 | 19:28 | 13 | |
17 | Crystal Palace | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | -6 | 12:18 | 12 | |
18 | Ipswich | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -12 | 13:25 | 9 | |
19 | Wolves | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -14 | 22:36 | 9 | |
20 | Southampton | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | -19 | 11:30 | 5 | |
1 | Brentford | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22:12 | 19 | |
2 | Liverpool | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13:3 | 18 | |
3 | Arsenal | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17:6 | 17 | |
4 | Manchester City | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15:10 | 16 | |
5 | Brighton | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12:9 | 13 | |
6 | Tottenham | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17:7 | 13 | |
7 | Manchester Utd | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11:8 | 13 | |
8 | Chelsea | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12:8 | 12 | |
9 | Aston Villa | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12:9 | 12 | |
10 | Nottingham | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8:6 | 11 | |
11 | Newcastle | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8:8 | 11 | |
12 | Fulham | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10:11 | 10 | |
13 | Bournemouth | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9:6 | 10 | |
14 | Everton | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9:8 | 9 | |
15 | Leicester | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9:10 | 8 | |
16 | West Ham | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10:15 | 7 | |
17 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4:8 | 6 | |
18 | Ipswich | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5:10 | 4 | |
19 | Wolves | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11:18 | 4 | |
20 | Southampton | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7:16 | 4 | |
1 | Liverpool | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16:8 | 17 | |
2 | Chelsea | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19:7 | 16 | |
3 | Arsenal | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11:8 | 11 | |
4 | Nottingham | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8:10 | 11 | |
5 | Manchester City | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10:9 | 10 | |
6 | Brighton | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10:8 | 10 | |
7 | Aston Villa | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10:14 | 10 | |
8 | Newcastle | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9:9 | 9 | |
9 | Fulham | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8:7 | 9 | |
10 | Bournemouth | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11:13 | 8 | |
11 | West Ham | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8:12 | 8 | |
12 | Tottenham | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11:7 | 7 | |
13 | Manchester Utd | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6:7 | 6 | |
14 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8:10 | 6 | |
15 | Everton | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5:13 | 5 | |
16 | Leicester | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10:18 | 5 | |
17 | Ipswich | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8:15 | 5 | |
18 | Wolves | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11:18 | 5 | |
19 | Brentford | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5:14 | 1 | |
20 | Southampton | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4:14 | 1 |
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