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Manchester United vs. Liverpool
| Sunday, October 20th |
Premier League | Old Trafford
4:30PM GMT/11:30AM EST
Liverpool are back in business on Sunday afternoon after all of their players returned thankfully unharmed from the international break. And it’s a big one, with the Reds travelling to Old Trafford to take on their bitter rivals Manchester United as they try to make it nine-for-nine so far in the Premier League.
The big news around Liverpool is that their star goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, maybe return to action after going off injured during the first game of the season. Who would have guessed it when it happened, but Liverpool fans likely won’t be too upset if Adrian got another game, given his form so far.
All of this is in direct contrast with Manchester United, who will be without their own world class keeper, David de Gea. De Gea, who always seems to have the game of his life against Liverpool, sustained a groin injury on international duty for Spain. Instead, it should be Sergio Romero between the sticks for the Red Devils on Sunday.
That’s not the end of Manchester United’s injuries woes, while Jurgen Klopp could roll up to Old Trafford with a fully fit squad available to him.
These matches are always full of drama, and United will want nothing more than to stop the Reds’ winning streak in its tracks.
Liverpool solid lead in the Premier League, but no one feels comfortable with Manchester City breathing down our backs. So just win, boys.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mané
It’s doubtful that Klopp will try anything funny with the line-up. If Alisson, Matip, and Salah are all, indeed, fit, then we should expect to see the same set-up that Klopp has preferred so far this season.
The only player missing for Klopp should be Nathaniel Clyne.
Fabinho has been in top form this season, and it should be entertaining to see him going up against the United attack. Meanwhile, Sadio Mané can’t seem to stop scoring, and his likely be licking his chops at the opportunity to go up against United’s makeshift defense.
Speaking of United, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Manchester United are in the midst of a real injury crisis, the likes of which most teams don’t usually see until later into the season when the players’ bodies start to go.
In addition to de Gea, United will also be without star Paul Pogba. Doubtful players for this clash include Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, and Jesse Lingard. That still leaves Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata to cause Liverpool problems up front.
What the Managers Had to Say
Jurgen Klopp: “Sky made a combined line-up and had 11 Liverpool players. That’s like a joke, like building a banana skin. The world in the moment is a circus, and we are at the center: a couple of people want us to win, a couple want us to lose. I’m not influenced by it.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjær: “I’ll need to make a decision on Anthony [Martial]. He’s not trained with us yet, he’s still working with the physios and the fitness coaches. Marcus hasn’t come back from internationals yet, so we’re probably not ready to play the two of them together. They might have to share the load.”
The Officials
Referee: Martin Atkinson Assistants: Lee Betts, Constantine Hatzidakis Fourth official: Jonathan Moss VAR: David Coote Assistant VAR: Marc Perry
Kickoff is set for 4:30PM GMT/11:30AM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.