Liverpool V Manchester United: Bruno Fernandes is back, Ruben Amorim, cagey contest & more
- Latrell Oscar
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
For Liverpool Football Club, the end of 2024 could not have been any more perfect. Despite losing beloved head coach Jürgen Klopp who resigned from his position in the summer, the Reds have enjoyed life after Klopp so far. After a strong start to the 2024/2025 season, Liverpool finds themselves in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, top of the UEFA Champions League group stage table and top of the Premier League table. During the first half of the season, Liverpool have only lost once in the 27 matches that they have played.
On the other hand, for Manchester United, the year 2024 was full of more negatives than positives. Despite winning the Emirates FA Cup in May, the Red Devils have not had a year to remember and will want to move on from the past and improve in the new year. Currently, the Red Devils sit 14th in the Premier League table, having lost nine matches at the halfway point of the season. In the previous Premier League campaign, the club finished on 14 losses which means the Ruben Amorim led side is only five losses away from equalling this tally.
Manchester United will be glad to know that both captain Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte will be back and available for selection although Marcus Rashford is expected to still remain away from any game time. Speaking on the return of both players, Ruben Amorim stated: “It’s a very good thing. They [Fernandes and Ugarte] have a lot of qualities, and we are happy to have them both back.” On the contrary, Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez, who has been ruled out of action ‘for a few weeks’ by Arne Slot after an injury suffered against West Ham United.
As Liverpool host Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend to kick-start both teams’ new year, Liverpool will enter the fixture brimming with confidence, as they have not lost to the Red Devils at home since 2016. Manchester United have had many unpleasant meetings at Anfield since that 1-0 victory over Liverpool in 2016, most notably the 7-0 thrashing in March 2023. Nonetheless, Ruben Amorim’s side will be aiming to put those memories to one side and pull off an upset similar to the recent victory over Manchester City.
In terms of Manchester United, the biggest watch in the upcoming match and the course of the remaining season will be Ruben Amorim’s ability to implement his tactics over a fairly short space of time. Sitting in 14th means that there is not a lot of room for error for the Red Devils, and they are in desperate need of results.
So far, the season has been nothing short of a disappointment for United fans and the club. After winning the FA Cup, some fans believed it could symbolise a turning point for both the manager at the time Erik ten Hag and the club. However, after Ten Hag was sacked in October, it became apparent that this was far from the case.
Now for Liverpool, the discourse across the second half of the season will merely be, can they sustain the high standards that were set in the first half of the season under Arne Slot? Having played 27, drawn three, and lost one in all competitions, this will be challenging to replicate, but it is possible. However, with contract negotiation talks and transfer rumours swirling around the club, it feels as if this can only cause distraction around arguably the most important part of the season. The thought that Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah could all potentially depart from the club for free in the summer has to be lingering in the minds of everyone involved at the club, and it is only going to get worse as the season continues unless a solution is found.
The match between Liverpool and Manchester United should be a cagey affair, with Liverpool trying to break down a more frustrating Manchester United side. I do not expect Liverpool to just steam roll Manchester United like they have in some previous meetings, but I do expect a similar encounter to the one in the latest Manchester Derby. Ruben Amorim will be aware of the attacking threat Liverpool pose; Mohamed Salah has had 14 league goal contributions in the month of December alone. As a result of this, the Portuguese manager will be expected to find a way to nullify this threat. The only way for this to be done is for Manchester United to set up in a stubborn fashion and cautiously approach the contest.
PREDICTED LIVERPOOL LINE-UP: Alisson (GK), A. Robertson, V. van Dijk (C), J. Quansah, T. Alexander-Arnold, R. Gravenberch, A. Mac Allister, C. Jones, L. Diaz, D. Nunez, M. Salah.
PREDICTED MANCHESTER UNITED LINE-UP: A. Onana (GK), D. Dalot, L. Martinez, H. Maguire, M. de Ligt, N. Mazraoui, K. Mainoo, M. Ugarte, B. Fernandes (C), A, Diallo, R. Hojlund.
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