The Premier League returns this weekend after a series of Champions League fixtures in midweek, and it certainly feels like this could be the biggest set of fixtures yet. Things are about to get serious with the Christmas period among us, which means one thing – there’s going to be games, games, games over the course of the next few weeks, and it’s not like football fans can complain about that. Before we get into the nitty gritty of it, though, there’s one game in particular that fans around the world always set aside to watch: Liverpool vs Manchester United.

It’s considered to be the most historic game in English football, and some would say the world. While that’s certainly debatable there’s no denying the magnitude of the fixture, because you just never know what’s going to happen. It’s one of those encounters that was born out of the success of both clubs throughout their respective histories, and it seems like things are only going to get more intense as we look ahead to the future. There’s no guarantee that both will continue to win silverware, but they’re definitely set up in a manner to be successful for many years to come.

Liverpool, in particular, have had an outstanding start to the season, to the point where they’re actually considered to be serious contenders for the Premier League title. They’re currently at the top of the pile with City not being all too far behind them, and it’s safe to say that Jurgen Klopp has completely transformed this team over the last few years. They’ve got a strong core, they’ve got one of the best starting XIs in all of Europe, and there’s nobody they can’t beat. Oh, and did we mention that they’re still unbeaten with the New Year being right around the corner?

Manchester United, on the other hand, have a little bit more work to do in order to have what would be considered a ‘successful’ season. Jose Mourinho has been heavily criticised ever since things got underway back in August, and it doesn’t seem like the fans are going to give him any time to breathe from now until May. They’ll do very well to secure a place in the Champions League next season after a poor start in the Premier League, with some suggesting that Mourinho may even be sacked before it’s all said and done.

Liverpool’s last six game stretch began as many of their games have done this season: with a victory. They took Watford apart with a 3-0 win, although they followed that up wih a 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain which left their qualification hopes in jeopardy. They managed to get back to winning ways against Everton, with another two big wins against Burnley and Bournemouth. Then, in arguably their biggest win of the season yet, they defeated Napoli 1-0 which ensured that they would be continuing their European journey in the Champions League as opposed to the Europa League.

United’s run in the last six games, however, has been slightly more up and down. They drew 0-0 against Crystal Palace in a game that opened the eyes of many regarding the struggles that they’re having under Jose Mourinho. They were fortunate to beat Young Boys 1-0, although they suffered a 2-2 draw against Southampton which was the definition of a disappointing result. A 2-2 draw against Arsenal was, once again, fortunate, but they improved the mood around the club with a 4-1 triumph over Fulham. That was, of course, before their 2-1 loss against Valencia which continued their pattern of taking one step forward and three steps back.

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We’ve said it a million times and we’ll say it again: these two teams have played each other quite a few times, and they seem destined to do so again and again for the rest of time. Manchester United actually lead the overall head to head standings 88-75 with 65 draws in between, with their first meeting taking place in 1894 when United were still called Newton Heath. Their last game happened back in March when United, somewhat surprisingly, managed to defeat Liverpool to break the trend of four straight draws between the two.

Liverpool will need to make some changes from a defensive standpoint, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all suffering either from niggles or more serious injuries. James Milner may have to go from being a midfielder to a right back in this one, with Nathaniel Clyne being tipped to return to the squad – and potentially even the starting XI. They’ve still got a strong enough core to warrant some optimism that they can pick up the three points, but without their strongest line-up possible in a game that will be as physical as this one, there are bound to be some worries.

For Manchester United, Marcos Rojo will almost certainly miss out with Victor Lindelof and Alexis Sanchez being on the sideline. The list of doubts includes Dalot, Martial, Smalling and Matteo Darmian, with Luke Shaw also struggling. David de Gea and Nemanja Matic are expected to return to the starting XI in the wake of their defeat against Valencia, although one of the big questions is going to be what happens with Paul Pogba. Some feel like his performances as of late indicate that he shouldn’t feature, wheares others firmly believe that he’s the type of big game player they need at Anfield.

Liverpool vs Manchester United Betting Prediction

If we’re talking from a pure quality standpoint, Liverpool should run through United with relative ease at Anfield. Of course, that’s now how derby games work even remotely, so we can expect a pretty tight showdown. We actually think United will take the lead early on, maybe even in the first 15 minutes, through a set piece. The Reds will panic initially but they’ll slowly work their way into the game, but we do think that they’ll go into the break behind – with the Red Devils parking the bus.

We can see Liverpool finally getting the equaliser around the hour mark, and from that point on, there’s only one way this is going to go. United will collapse at the back and the Reds will manage to score the winner with around 15 minutes to go, before riding out a late United storm. Sure, it may not be quite as dramatic as that in practice as it is in theory, but we’re confident enough in saying that there will be goals. It’s going to be one of those special afternoons at Anfield as it always is when United come to Merseyside, and it should be a fun one even for the neutrals.

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