One of the grandest rivalries of the English football will take the center stage on Sunday as Liverpool will battle their fiercest adversaries Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League. The importance of the clash cannot be stressed enough in the context of the title race, given how extremely tight it is at the top of the table.
Liverpool have had a difficult start to the new year, having won none of their games since the turn of the year. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland in the league before a goalless stalemate was ensured against lower league side Plymouth in the FA Cup in the past weekend. And the Reds were handed a 1-0 defeat by Southampton in the midweek EFL Cup semi-final clash, Liverpool’s only third defeat of the season.
In their previous encounter, earlier in the season at Anfield, both the teams shared the spoil, playing out a dull goalless draw. But Liverpool will want to bounce back from their poor start to the year and what better way to get going than a victory over their bitter most rivals. Ahead of the titanic clash, we give you three things that Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool should do to triumph against Jose Mourinho’s men:
Philippe Coutinho and Joel Matip to return
Philippe Coutinho made his much-awaited return from injury in the 1-0 loss to Southampton on Wednesday. The Brazilian playmaker has been out since November and has been missed by the Reds, given his excellent performances before the injury.
In Sadio Mane’s absence due to his involvement in the AFCON, Coutinho’s return becomes much more crucial for Klopp and he should look to play the former Inter Milan attacker from the kick-off itself.
More good news for the Kop, as it has been reported that Joel Matip has returned to full fitness and has begun full training ahead of the mega clash against United.
The Liverpool centre-half duo of Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan haven’t really convinced much, and if Matip is fit, then he should be reinstated to the playing XI without any delay. The Cameroonian put in an excellent display the last time these two sides met, keeping Zlatan Ibrahimović quiet for the entire night.
If Liverpool are to make a statement at Old Trafford on Sunday, Coutinho and Matip will need to be involved as they can make the difference against United.