A North West derby with full of stakes, Liverpool welcome Manchester United at Anfield in a bid to bolster their title chase. The Red Devils have to undertake the hard work in beating their arch rivals to gain important points for desired Champions League berth.
The Reds took over fellow title challengers in a stunning FA Cup win while United came from behind to win 3-2 against Norwich through a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.
LIV vs MUN Match Details :
Date: Tuesday, 19 April 2022/ Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Time: 20:00 (BST)/ 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
LIV vs MUN Match Preview :
It couldn't have tasted sweeter for Liverpool to lead 3-0 at halftime in one of the best halves seen by Klopp against Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal whom they drew 2-2 in a potential decider only a week ago in the league. Ibrahima Konate scored in his third game a row and Sadio Mane bagged a memorable brace to seal the deal. Guardiola's men gave a good response in scoring early in the second half and then again deep into this period to make matter interesting but nothing could have stopped the Reds to march on to another cup final. The damage on City was inflicted and although several changes were made to the side, Liverpool deserve a lot of credit for the win. It extended Klopp's side unbeaten record to eight games in all competitions. Attention turn to the league now where they haven't lost at all this year. Liverpool have also not tasted defeat against Manchester United since 2018 in the league. All of this point to Klopp smiling the last but here where his 'mentality monsters' can stumble so caution is required. With Everton in another derby to come next and Tottenham left to play next month, the Reds know victory is essential for them in the long run. City, with a point lead at the top, couldn't given any more piece of ground and Klopp knows it better than anyone else.
This fabulous form and merciless attitude of the Reds is a sign of worry for Ralf Rangnick's Manchester United. It was Cristiano Ronaldo who rescued them again from humilation with one of his trademark his hattrick rounding off by scoring a free-kick as the winner. He gave the home team the lead against Norwich at Old Trafford but defensive fragilities came to bite back them. Kieran Dowell and Teemu Pukki scored for the bottom placed side to stay ahead 2-1 until the 75th minute before the show from the Portuguese. Rangnick said he was brought at the club on the interim basis to find a solution to stop leak easy goals which is visibly still at work. Varane won't be available for this clash as well after missing last couple of games so tension remain facing a feared opposition in a derby of pride and rewards with a shaky back four. The win on Saturday though put them back in contention with top four chasers Arsenal and Tottenham losing on the same day. United are now three points off the fourth spot with Arsenal and Chelsea to play after Tuesday's affair. The road is definitely not easy. The other two also have big opponents to face in the race but are lucky with less stressing calendar than the Red Devils are enduring. A draw will be good but a win against all odds will be better.
Recent Form (all competitions)
Liverpool: WDDWW
Man Utd: WLDLW
LIV vs MUN Team News :
Liverpool have a fully fit squad to choose from but there are a lot of injury concerns on the Manchester United end. Ralf Rangnick confirmed that Raphael Varane, Scott McTominay, Fred, Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw will all miss Tuesday's derby. Fred was forced off in the first half against Everton at Goodison Park while the other four missed the defeat and the win over Norwich City altogether. Shaw is ruled out for the rest of the season with a shin injury while Cavani is not available until May. McTominay and Varane can probably return for the next game against Arsenal. Rangnick also provided an update on the car accident involving Bruno Fernandes on his way to Carrington. He said that nobody was injured the Portuguese were okay and trained with the team.
LIV vs MUN Expected Lineups :
Liverpool: Alisson Becker; Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Mohammed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane
Man Utd: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Maguire, Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Anthony Elanga, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo
LIV vs MUN Head to Head :
Manchester United fans need no reminding of the first derby of the season at Old Trafford where Liverpool thrashed their rivals 5-0. The home team's distorted pressing that day led to their downfall. They are also travelling to Anfield with a worrisome record in their last six visits to the place in all competitions. Liverpool have stayed unbeaten in this clash at the venue since 2016 although three of them have ended 0-0 including the last league meet here.
LIV vs MUN Dream11 Team Prediction :
GK: Alisson (8.5)
DEF: Trent (9.5), Van Dijk (9), Robertson (9), Telles (8.5)
MID: Thiago (8.5), Fernandes (10), Mane (9.5)
FW: Elanga (8), Ronaldo (10), Jota (9.5)
