Manchester United face Liverpool at Old Trafford this Sunday, with the chance to confirm our spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
United one step towards that goal last time out in M16 against Brentford, with goals from Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealing all three points, as Mathias Jensen’s late goal was rendered a mere consolation.
The Reds now need just two points from our remaining four league games to guarantee our place in Europe’s premier competition, meaning a win against the Merseysiders would do the trick.
After a slight wobble on our return from an extended break, in the Monday-night clash against Leeds, the Reds have bounced back to form with consecutive wins against top-five hopefuls Chelsea and Brentford – and are looking to make it three on the trot with the visit of the Merseysiders.
Crucially, we’ve so far scored in every single game in Carrick’s current tenure – a run of 13 games – which if continued will give us a great chance to take something from the game.
Liverpool have managed to arrest a late-season drop in momentum, having lost three outings on the bounce in all competitions before their game against Fulham in the middle of April.
Since meeting with the Cottagers, however, it’s three wins in three in the Premier League for Slot’s men, after victories against their city rivals Everton, and last weekend against Crystal Palace.
Michael Carrick will be without Lisandro Martinez for this game, as the Argentinian defender serves the last of his three-game ban for his straight red card in the defeat to Leeds United. However, Leny Yoro made his return to the squad against Brentford, after missing the Chelsea game through injury, and came on as a second-half substitute for Luke Shaw.
Matheus Cunha was absent from the matchday squad against the Bees, but our head coach describe his hip flexor issue, picked up against Chelsea, as “nothing too serious”.
Elsewhere, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu was named in a United squad for the first time since sustaining an injury against Arsenal in January, and Matthijs de Ligt continues his recovery from a back issue.
As ever, Carrick could provide further fitness updates in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
The visitors look set to be without all of Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo for their trip to Manchester, as they are all dealing with various longer-term issues, while Mohamed Salah went off injured in their last outing against Crystal Palace. However, the club have since confirmed the Egyptian sustained a “minor muscle injury” and is expected to be available before the end of the season, so whether he recovers in time for this meeting remains to be seen.
They’ve also been without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, and back-up shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili, for the last week or so, with Freddie Woodman given the nod, but Liverpool boss Arne Slot has suggested their no.1 could be closing in on a return.
That picture could also become clearer after the Dutchman’s media briefings ahead of the game.
LAST MEETING
Our last encounter with Liverpool, over at Anfield, was one to savour for all connected with United, but especially Harry Maguire.
We took the lead away from home in that October game, with Bryan Mbeumo racing through the hosts’ defence in the second minute, before slotting the ball through Mamardashvili’s legs.
That held all the way until the 78th minute, when Cody Gakpo appeared to have punctured our dreams of a famous Anfield victory with a close-range leveller.
Maguire was having none of it, though. The defender rose to meet a Bruno Fernandes cross and nodded it back across the Georgian keeper and into the back of the net, to a wall of noise in the United away end.
The 33-year-old set up Casemiro with his head against Brentford, and registered two shots on target in that recent outing, so will be hoping to have a similar impact on Sunday.