Liverpool FC are certainly the worst opponent possible for Manchester United right now. The Reds are going for a record- a win here gives them 18 in a row in league play, tying Manchester City. And matching the mark against United would just make reaching the milestone all the more sweeter.
Many in the media have billed this match as a total non-contest, due to United’s dreadful form as of late (MUFC currently sit 12th in the table and haven’t won a road game since March). Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp rejects this notion.
“Sky made a combined line-up and had 11 Liverpool players,” the German said Friday at his news conference.
“That’s like a joke, like building a banana skin. The world in the moment is a circus, and we are at the centre — a couple of people want us to win, a couple want us to lose. I’m not influenced by it. I am 100 per cent aware of the strength of Manchester United and I expect their best possible line-up.”
“A couple of days ago Ole said ‘no chance’ for [David] De Gea and [Paul] Pogba, today it’s a ‘maybe’ and tomorrow it’s a 100 per cent [Anthony] Martial will be back.
“This is a really good football side. They are in a situation which they don’t like, and they want to change it. We have to make sure if they want to change it they have to start a week later.”
That said, let’s take a look at who Klopp might select for his first team.
Liverpool FC Starting XI Prediction vs Manchester United
Sadio Mane Roberto Firmino Mohamed Salah
Georginio Wijnaldum Fabinho Jordan Henderson
Andrew Robertson Virgil van Dijk Joel Matip Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alisson
Liverpool at Manchester United: Sunday October 20, 4:30 pm, Old Trafford
Team News Articles: United Liverpool
Early match preview: go to this link
Starting XI Predictions: United Liverpool
Press Conference Videos, Quotes: United Liverpool
Odds: Liverpool win 4/5, Man United win 5/4
Google Result Probability: Liverpool win 55%, Man United win 24%, Draw 21%
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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