Five Questions Ahead of Sunday’s Match Against Manchester United

Looking ahead to Liverpool’s match against Manchester United on Sunday, it’s important to spend as much time as possible mulling over all the nuances of the great rivalry between the two clubs. Below are five questions that should provide you with plenty of brainwave activity to satisfy your football-loving soul.

1. Marcus Rashford is all but officially ruled out of Sunday’s match with what sounds like a recurrence of a back injury. As United’s leading goalscorer with 14 total, Rashford will be a big miss for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Anthony Martial can be dangerous. David James as well. But United don’t have a ready replacement for Rashford’s attacking prowess. What is Liverpool’s ideal United team sheet?
2. Mohamed Salah has never scored for Liverpool against United. In exactly five words, explain how this makes you feel?
3. The reverse fixture back in October was a difficult one for Jürgen Klopp’s team. Rashford scored late in the first half and United led for most of the rest of the match. It was Adam Lallana that secured a point for Liverpool in the 85th minute. At the time Ashley Young was very confused. He didn’t expect Lallana to make a run. To be fair, a lot of us didn’t expect Lallana to make the run. Choose a sea creature that represents how sad Young was after the match because he allowed Lallana to get one?
4. With ex-captain Ashley Young nearly gone to Inter Milan, Solskjaer has named Harry Maguire as the new United captain. Goalkeeper David de Gea clearly would have liked the title himself and said so over the summer. The decision to go with Maguire could have repercussions if it causes de Gea to think about finally moving on from United at the end of the season. What’s the deal with all the Harry’s in England, anyway?
5. Liverpool have had plenty of injury issues of late. Some players are returning soon or have already been welcomed into full training, but the team’s momentum has hardly slowed over the course of what had looked like being a major injury crisis. We shouldn’t expect the likes of Fabinho or Joël Matip to immediately make the starting XI. Because likes of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Joe Gomez have been performing so well. But if Fabinho’s on the bench I’d bet Klopp will look to get the Brazilian some time on the pitch eventually. How many non-bookable fouls will he commit in his first five minutes?