2016 EPL: Liverpool vs Man United Betting Tip
There will be no Gary Neville vs Jamie Carragher battle on the field.
There will be no Roy Keane vs Steve Gerrard battle either.
And neither will there be a Patrice Evra vs Luis Suarez tussle.
Still, this is one of the biggest games in England as Liverpool take on Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.
The two North-West traditional rivals are the most successful clubs in Premier League but find themselves outside the top five and battling differing reasons to get back into contention.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool hasn’t experienced the kind of consistency that they expected when the Germans took over the reins from Brendan Rodgers. Klopp will point to the sick bug that spread within his squad like an unwanted virus but the truth is that they lie ninth in the league. Thanks to a season that has seen oscillating form from all the sides, Liverpool should count themselves lucky to be still in with a shot.
The Reds will be without their talisman Philippe Coutinho but in the fitness of Jordan Henderson there could be good news for the hosts. Firmino played brilliantly against Arsenal and could be their invisible striker once again. There are concerns over the number of fit bodies in defence but the loan signing of Steven Caulker and the possible return of Mamadou Sakho seems to have eased the nerves.
Manchester United are no better with problems of inconsistency plaguing them too. Louis van Gaal is under severe pressure so much so that a loss at Liverpool could bring him back to the edge. After a long time, the team played aggressive counter-attacking football and a 3-3 draw with New Castle was termed refreshing.
The return to form of captain Wayne Rooney would be the most pleasing sight for Van Gaal. United are just two points off a Champions League spot but there is discontent among the faithful that the Red Devils aren’t dominating the games as they should. With just one win in the last eight games, United look a different team to the ones that visited Anfield over the years and there is no solace in the fact that Liverpool are equally bad, if not worse.
Van Gaal has won against Liverpool all the three times he faced them but the backdrop of this game is much different. The reverse fixture saw United run out victors with a young Anthony Martial leading the 3-1 rout. Both teams head on the back of identical and equally dramatic 3-3 draws and wouldn’t want to risk a loss. This is the first time Klopp and Van Gaal come head to head in the Premier League and it could be an entertaining draw.
