One of the must-see matches of the 2024/25 Premier League season takes place when Manchester United travel to the home of their traditional rivals, Liverpool.

Table-topping Liverpool are at home to struggling Manchester United who would be fired up to get a crucial result in their quest to rise up the Premier League standings.  

Liverpool have been utterly dominant in their encounters against United, with the reverse fixture ending in a 3-0 victory for the Reds which continued the trend of high-scoring wins in this fixture.

The Reds have made a record-breaking start to the current season despite Arne Slot overseeing a period of continuity having taken over as Liverpool manager from Jurgen Klopp. The Dutchman has given his team the chance to ease into his philosophy and although the Reds are far from perfect, they have an experienced squad full of serial winners.

They have benefitted the most from Manchester City and Arsenal’s slumps and so far, Liverpool have the least flaws of the title-chasing trio.

The Merseysiders are the only team with a perfect record in the UEFA Champions League after four games and they now enjoy a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. Their dramatic 3-2 win over Southampton took them to 31 points from 12 matches, with the second-most goals scored (24) and the least goals conceded (eight) in the league.

Pertinently, that victory on the south coast underlined Liverpool’s fighting spirit as well as their obvious quality and that will no doubt be needed throughout the festive season.

They are in a much better position than they envisaged this early into Slot’s reign, and now Liverpool must harness their leading position to keep the winning feeling going.

Although unexpected, the Anfield side are looking to win the league for the first time since 2019/20, and their supporters will know there is a long way to go in the race.

The Reds have lost just once across all competitions and they are poised to go all the way in the title race.

A game against Man Utd will bring out the obvious rivalry between both clubs but the Reds will be keen to retain their dominance, despite the recent managerial change at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have had a disastrous start to the campaign after finishing eighth for their lowest-ever Premier League position last term. The triumph over City in the FA Cup final at Wembley papered over some cracks as Erik ten Hag’s contract was extended with significant recruitment backing from the new minority owners.  

Meanwhile, only four wins into their first 11 games of the season prompted the Dutch manager’s sacking who has been replaced by former Sporting Lisbon boss, Ruben Amorim. The 20-time English champions steadied the ship with Ruud van Nistelrooy leading them to three wins and a draw in his four games in charge as interim manager.

Having signed off with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Leicester, Amorim is tasked with taking them a step further by instilling a playing identity. 

The 39-year-old started his reign with an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town where Omari Hutchinson cancelled out Marcus Rashford’s early opener.

Amorim must now oversee a vast improvement from his side while attempting to compete in different competitions where they have already been shambolic.

United have it all to do to rise up the league standings, and although they are currently in 12th place, they are only three points behind the top six and a good run of form will instantly change their fortunes.

Their Portuguese manager will be desperate for a result from his first clash against Liverpool as players and fans will be looking for reasons to trust the process.

Indeed, the Red Devils will be desperate to secure a huge victory at the scene of their seven-goal slaughter only a couple of years ago.

Match tickets

This Premier League matchday 20 fixture takes place on Sunday, 5 January 2025 with kick-off scheduled for 4:30 PM UK time. It promises to be a memorable occasion and match tickets are now available for sale on the website of each individual club, with priority access given to club members and season ticket holders.

Being both teams’ first match of the calendar year, as many as 61,000 fans are expected to saunter through the Anfield turnstiles to witness this New Year’s Day special. It is always a spectacular matchup when the two most successful clubs in the history of English football face-off, and the fans will be making it a classic.   

Finding match tickets for this heavyweight clash will be difficult as official sources will be overwhelmed with demand, so we urge supporters to purchase their Liverpool vs Manchester United tickets on a resale site. There, regular match-goers can also find more Liverpool tickets for the whole season.  

Team news

Harvey Elliott is a long-term absentee for Liverpool at the time of writing with a broken foot. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold is currently unavailable but his injury is not thought to be long-term, so he should be fit for this game. 

Meanwhile, Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota are doubts.

Amorim would have an almost full-strength squad to work with on arrival at Old Trafford as Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo and Tyrell Malacia all returned to the squad for the manager’s debut match. 

That leaves Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire as the only absentees.

Line-ups

Mohamed Salah has been in top form this season and the Egyptian is primed to register a goal contribution against one of his favourite opponents. Despite uncertainty over his future at the club, he is his team’s undisputed dangerman. 

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, MacAllister; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Nunez

Amorim will line up in his preferred 3-4-3 shape with two central midfielders and flying wing-backs.  

Manuel Ugarte will have a thankless task to shut down Liverpool’s high-possession rhythm and United’s forwards must be clinical whenever they receive possession in space.

Manchester United: Onana; Maguire, De Ligt, Martinez; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Ugarte, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford

Prediction

This game promises lots of goals as Liverpool are used to breaching their visitors who will also be desperate to finally secure a positive result at Anfield. 

The Reds will be confident of leaving with all three points, and United must be wary of getting overwhelmed once more. 

Liverpool 3-1 Man United

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