Liverpool v Man Utd preview: Rivals lock horns on Red Monday

Image: Liverpool and Manchester United meet at Anfield on Red Monday

The eagerly awaited north west derby between Liverpool and Manchester United sees Jurgen Klopp pit his wits against Jose Mourinho on Red Monday, live on Sky Sports 1.

The fixture remains one of the fiercest rivalries in football, involving two clubs that have won a combined 87 major trophies (Liverpool 44, Man Utd 43) between them.

Image: Red Monday on Sky Sports MNF

Liverpool are in red-hot form, winning their last four Premier League games - their longest run of successive wins under Klopp - while United have already lost two league matches this season and are five points behind leaders Manchester City.

However, United's recent record against Liverpool is strong, winning the last four league meetings between the teams. They were also the last visiting team in the Premier League to win and keep a clean sheet at Anfield with their 1-0 victory in January.

Image: Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 win at Anfield

Liverpool won the last meeting between the two sides at Anfield, winning 2-0 in the first leg of last season's Europa League last-16 tie.

Advertisement

Live Monday Night Football

Team news

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana remains a doubt for Klopp.

The England international sustained a groin strain in the win at Swansea just before the international break and his availability is still to be determined.

Also See:

Fellow midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum returned from Holland duty with a hip problem although neither he nor Lallana have yet been ruled out, while defenders Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren, who both withdrew from their respective international squads with injuries, are fit.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher pick their #One2Eleven of players they have played against in the Liverpool v Manchester United derby.

Mourinho will have both Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan available on Monday night.

Left-back Shaw has missed United's last four fixtures with a groin strain while a thigh problem has kept Mkhitaryan sidelined since the Manchester derby on September 10.

Defender Phil Jones (knee) is the only definite absentee while England captain Wayne Rooney, dropped from the Three Lions' starting line-up in midweek, may have to make do with a fourth successive game among United's replacements.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes home advantage could be crucial for their match against Manchester United on Monday.

Match stats

Liverpool have lost more Premier League matches (27) and also the most league matches (67) against United than versus any other opponent.

Liverpool have lost each of their last four Premier League clashes with United, their worst league losing streak against the Red Devils since March 2008 (five defeats).

This clash has seen 16 red cards shown in the Premier League; only Everton v Liverpool (21) has produced more dismissals.

Jose Mourinho insists he's looking forward to taking his Manchester United side to Anfield to play Liverpool, but believes the result won't define their season.

Klopp has lost just one of his five meetings with Mourinho (W3 D1), with that defeat coming in 2013 when Borussia Dortmund lost 2-0 at Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg.

Since Klopp was appointed as Liverpool manager in October 2015, they have scored more goals than any other Premier League team (73) and have the highest average possession figure (58.8 per cent).

Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister believes recalling Wayne Rooney for their game at Liverpool would be the right decision.

Juan Mata has had a hand in five goals in his last four appearances against Liverpool in the Premier League, scoring three and assisting two.

Only Steven Gerrard (eight) has scored more goals in this Premier League fixture than Rooney (six - level with Robbie Fowler).

Rooney currently has 87 Premier League away goals, the joint-most in the competition alongside Alan Shearer.

Manchester United had three points more at this stage last season under Louis Van Gaal (16) than they currently have after seven games of 2016-17 (13).

Watch ten of the best Premier League goals scored between Liverpool and Manchester Utd.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn't scored in three league appearances - his worst run in league competition since January 2015 (four in a row for Paris Saint-Germain).

Marcus Rashford has scored 12 goals since his debut for United on February 25 2016 (all competitions) - four more than any other player for United in this period. It's also two more competitive goals than any player for Liverpool since his debut.

Ways to watch

This is the biggest Premier League season yet on Sky Sports - and there are more ways than ever to follow the action from Anfield.

You can watch the game live on Sky Sports 1 HD, with our TV build-up kicking-off at 7pm where Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Ryan Giggs will join host David Jones in the studio at Anfield.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher relive some classic moments and memories from Liverpool v Manchester United.

There is a whole range of options to complement and enhance your viewing experience with Sky Sports. You can watch the game on the move with Sky Go or follow our live match blog, where Sky Sports customers will be able to watch all the major incidents via our expanded mobile clips service.

Our coverage starts on Monday morning from 7am, where Sky Sports News HQ will be live from Anfield throughout the day, as will our "Red Monday" live blog, which will bring you a behind the scenes feel to the build up to one of the biggest rivalries in world football.

If you're interested in purchasing a Now TV day pass for Red Monday, you can grab one for just £6.99. No contract needed.

Watch NOW TV

Watch Sky Sports for just £6.99. No contract.

Merson's predictions

I don't think Man Utd will be able to live with Liverpool's attacking players and if the hosts start quickly they will have too much at Anfield.

This is a huge game for Man Utd, though, because I'm predicting Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham all to win, and the gap could grow quickly. All the top teams are capable of stringing six wins together so you don't want to be playing catch-up this early.

I'm not sure Jose Mourinho knows his best team yet and he needs to get that sorted. They played well for 20 minutes against Stoke, but for a large part of that game they didn't look like scoring.

Considering the way Liverpool press high, I think Man Utd will struggle to open the game up.

PAUL PREDICTS: 3-1 (Sky Bet odds 14/1)

Betting

The biggest match of the weekend should be worth the wait on Monday Night Football as 11/10 favourites Liverpool host old rivals Manchester United (23/10) at Anfield.

It's 13/5 that the two most successful clubs in English football can't be separated. Liverpool are yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this season, and it's 4/7 for both teams to score on Monday night. You can get 11/4 for Liverpool to win and both teams to score.

Image: Zlatan Ibrahimovic can be backed at 6/1 to score first

Daniel Sturridge at 9/2 shades first-goalscorer favouritism from 5/1 Roberto Firmino. Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 6/1.

You can watch Liverpool v Man Utd, plus England's tour of Bangladesh and the British Masters on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy six months at half price!

Outbrain