Manchester United vs. Liverpool Preview

Barclays Premier League

Football
Published: 06/02/2012

Manchester United will be out to avenge their recent F.A Cup fourth round defeat at the hands of Liverpool when they host Kenny Dalglish’s men at Old Trafford in the Barclays Premier League on February 11.

A late strike from Dirk Kuyt in front of the Kop helped Liverpool overcome their fiercest rivals at the end of January, as the Reds moved from strength to strength following their excellent victory over Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final.

But United will be confident of compensating for that loss after finally drawing level with their cross-city adversaries in the title race heading into the final third of the season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has managed to hold his squad together remarkably during a period where they have failed to inspire, however their ability to grind out results when not performing well has paid massive dividends.

The Red Devils looked down and out at the turn of the year after suffering shock defeats to Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers; however dropped points from City reopened the door for the champions who must now have a real chance of retaining their Premier League crown.

Liverpool will provide an extremely stern test for Ferguson’s men who must learn from their defensive mistakes at Anfield towards the end of January.

Although the tie was fairly balanced, Liverpool always looked the more threatening and a sustained amount of pressure eventually forced United and their inexperienced keeper De Gea to crack.

Manchester United will inevitably feel much more comfortable on their own turf and will be able to dictate matters to much greater effect than away from home against a Liverpool outfit who also like to control the tempo from midfield.

Liverpool have started creeping into some real form however they will have to step up once again if they are to leave Old Trafford with anything and boost their chances of finishing fourth and obtaining Champions League qualification.

Expect Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard to once again assume the lead roles and their performances will be vital towards the outcome of the fixture.

Many people believe that the overall performance of both Manchester United and Liverpool depends largely on Rooney and Gerrard respectively and this again looks an occasion which those players will relish.

United’s scoring record at home has to be admired and after netting at a rate of almost three goals per game so far this campaign, it is hard to oppose them even against the resurgent visitors.

The F.A Cup reversal is likely to spur the hosts on further and if they can begin the game on the front foot the pace from Nani and Young down the flanks could give Liverpool’s back four a really difficult time.

Rooney is fancied to make his mark by getting on the score sheet and slotting the scouser into a wincast bet should provide a neat enhancement to United’s match betting odds of around even money.

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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (06/02/2012) but are subject to change.

06/02/2012     © Frixo 2024

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