Liverpool vs Manchester United – Betting Tips and PL Preview

It is probably now a question of whether Liverpool can be stopped as they seek to claim their first-ever Premier League title, with the Reds failing to win just one of their twenty-one league matches this season. Yet Old Trafford was the venue for that one failure when Manchester United earned a 1-1 draw against Liverpool back in mid-October. The Red Devils have proved to a fairly inconsistent outfit this season, but can they go to Anfield and deny the hosts once again? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players have already won 2-1 at Manchester City this season so can they repeat that success on Sunday.

Having won their last twelve Premier League matches, Liverpool will be determined to extend that sequence at the expense of one of their fiercest rivals. Among the teams visiting Anfield this season, only Arsenal in the EFL Cup and Napoli in Champions League action have avoided defeat, while the Reds have also added more stability in defence during recent weeks. It may also help Jurgen Klopp’s team that a free midweek in their fixture list will be a welcome bonus after an extremely congested period last month.

It has already been a busy New Year for Manchester United as they played their fifth game this month when beating Wolves 1-0 in an FA Cup replay on Wednesday evening. However, United lost their only away game in Premier League action during 2020 when beaten 2-0 by Arsenal and they have lost four other away games against lower league teams this season. Although the Red Devils are difficult to beat at Old Trafford, inconsistency on their travels is hampering attempts to secure a top-four position in the league table, and a few injury problems are not helping matters.

Team News

Nathaniel Clyne (knee), Naby Keita (groin) and James Milner (leg muscle) are sidelined at Liverpool, but there is hope that Joel Matip (knee) could be available. Fabio Tavares (ankle) and Dejan Lovren (thigh) may also be declared fit.

Scott McTominay (knee) and Paul Pogba (foot/ankle) will be unavailable for Manchester United while Axel Tuanzebe (thigh), Marcos Rojo (leg muscle) and Luke Shaw (hamstring) are unlikely to feature. There is also some concern regarding Marcus Rashford who suffered a back injury in midweek, but Eric Bailly (match fitness) and Timothy Fosu-Mensah (match fitness) could be involved.

Prediction

One feature of the last six Premier League victories for Liverpool is the fact that clean sheets have been registered in all matches which contrasts with early season form when the Reds were always liable to concede a goal. That will not be good news for a Manchester United team which has failed to find the net in each of their five defeats on the road in league action. Therefore, it may be a good idea to select a Clean Sheet for Liverpool priced at Evens with Bet365, as a decent bet.

A second pick is for Liverpool to be winning at Half-Time and Full-Time offered at 21/20 by Bet365. In earning victory from their last eight Premier League fixtures, Liverpool have scored a goal during the first half via six different players while also netting during the second period in five of those contests. For Manchester United, it has been a different case with Marcus Rashford scoring their only opening period goal this year when netting in the 4-0 home victory against Norwich. Furthermore, in six competitive matches towards the end of last year, United scored during the first 45 minutes in just two matches as they beat Newcastle and Burnley.