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SUN 17 JAN 2021PREMIER LEAGUE
Liverpool 16:30 Manchester United
Venue: Anfield
Liverpool v Manchester United
This is Jurgen Klopp's 200th Premier League game in charge of Liverpool. He has won 127 times, a record bettered in the competition only by Jose Mourinho (137) at the 200-game milestone.
TEAM NEWS
Liverpool's Joel Matip is close to full fitness but will be assessed before a decision is made if he can feature.
Naby Keita has again been ruled out and remains on the sidelines with Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has definitely ruled out Phil Jones and Brandon Williams.
Aside from them, he says he will give "everyone a chance" to prove their fitness - including Anthony Martial, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof.
'I have no skills for playing mind games' - Klopp
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Guy Mowbray: Liverpool's 2-0 win against United in this fixture last season gave them a THIRTY-point lead over their great rivals. Now, two days short of a year later, the champions need a win just to draw level on points with them. How quickly times change - as if anyone needed reminding!
Is it the biggest game of the season so far? I think it probably is, with every blockbuster carrying greater importance than the last one so long as everything remains so close at the top.
There will possibly be greater focus after the game on the team that loses. If that's Liverpool, they'll be 'in crisis'. Not true but, relatively speaking, not wholly unreasonable either. They haven't gone four league games without a win in nearly four years.
If United lose, their title challenge will probably be dismissed by some. Indeed, have they - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - received enough credit for getting to the top of the table approaching halfway through the season?
Solskjaer's side haven't lost an away league game since that last visit to Anfield a year ago, but haven't won there for five years - to the day.
So many omens, so much past history, with none of it having any bearing on what happens next. It's over to the players of today, with the reinvigorated Paul Pogba talking of this being "a beautiful game for everyone….so let's get ready for it".
We are Paul. We are.
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
United have got momentum and will pose a number of problems for Liverpool's defence because of their pace up front and the guile and passing of Bruno Fernandes.
Liverpool are going through an indifferent spell, but they have not suddenly become a bad side. They will create chances, too. They just need to take them this time.
Liverpool's home form is obviously hugely impressive - they have not lost at Anfield in the league since April 2017 - and so is United's unbeaten away record this season.
I am going for a draw, which would keep both of those runs going.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v You Me At Six drummer Dan Flint
This run began after a 0-0 draw with Manchester City in October 2018 - that was also the most recent league home match the Reds failed to score in.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Liverpool 16:30 Manchester United
Venue: Anfield
Liverpool v Manchester United
This is Jurgen Klopp's 200th Premier League game in charge of Liverpool. He has won 127 times, a record bettered in the competition only by Jose Mourinho (137) at the 200-game milestone.
TEAM NEWS
Liverpool's Joel Matip is close to full fitness but will be assessed before a decision is made if he can feature.
Naby Keita has again been ruled out and remains on the sidelines with Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has definitely ruled out Phil Jones and Brandon Williams.
Aside from them, he says he will give "everyone a chance" to prove their fitness - including Anthony Martial, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof.
- Liverpool a very good test for us - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- When Liverpool & Man Utd were last in a Premier League title race
'I have no skills for playing mind games' - Klopp
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Guy Mowbray: Liverpool's 2-0 win against United in this fixture last season gave them a THIRTY-point lead over their great rivals. Now, two days short of a year later, the champions need a win just to draw level on points with them. How quickly times change - as if anyone needed reminding!
Is it the biggest game of the season so far? I think it probably is, with every blockbuster carrying greater importance than the last one so long as everything remains so close at the top.
There will possibly be greater focus after the game on the team that loses. If that's Liverpool, they'll be 'in crisis'. Not true but, relatively speaking, not wholly unreasonable either. They haven't gone four league games without a win in nearly four years.
If United lose, their title challenge will probably be dismissed by some. Indeed, have they - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - received enough credit for getting to the top of the table approaching halfway through the season?
Solskjaer's side haven't lost an away league game since that last visit to Anfield a year ago, but haven't won there for five years - to the day.
So many omens, so much past history, with none of it having any bearing on what happens next. It's over to the players of today, with the reinvigorated Paul Pogba talking of this being "a beautiful game for everyone….so let's get ready for it".
We are Paul. We are.
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
United have got momentum and will pose a number of problems for Liverpool's defence because of their pace up front and the guile and passing of Bruno Fernandes.
Liverpool are going through an indifferent spell, but they have not suddenly become a bad side. They will create chances, too. They just need to take them this time.
Liverpool's home form is obviously hugely impressive - they have not lost at Anfield in the league since April 2017 - and so is United's unbeaten away record this season.
I am going for a draw, which would keep both of those runs going.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v You Me At Six drummer Dan Flint
This run began after a 0-0 draw with Manchester City in October 2018 - that was also the most recent league home match the Reds failed to score in.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester United's only win in their past 10 matches against Liverpool in all competitions was by 2-1 in the league at Old Trafford in March 2018.
- The Red Devils have gone four league games without a win over Liverpool (D2, L2), their longest run since March 2000 to January 2002.
- Liverpool are aiming to win three home league games in a row against Manchester United for the first time since the 2008-09 to 2010-11 seasons.
- Liverpool have dropped 18 points this season, more than across the whole of each of the previous two campaigns.
- They are in danger of losing consecutive league fixtures for the first time since August to September 2015 under Brendan Rodgers. The second of those losses was a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United.
- The Reds haven't started a calendar year with back-to-back league defeats since 1993.
- Jurgen Klopp has not lost successive league matches as a manager since April 2015, when he was at Borussia Dortmund.
- Liverpool last went three top-flight matches without a goal in February and March 2005, while a team managed by Klopp has not gone goalless in three consecutive league fixtures since November to December 2006 when he was at Mainz.
- On Sunday, Klopp becomes the 10th manager to reach 200 top-flight games for Liverpool, with the German winning more games than any of his predecessors by the same stage.
- This is the first time Manchester United have been top of the table after as many as 17 games of a season since the final day of their title-winning campaign in 2012-13 under Sir Alex Ferguson.
- They are unbeaten in 11 Premier League matches since losing to Arsenal on 1 November.
- The Red Devils are aiming to win more than seven of their opening nine away matches of a league season for only the second time, emulating the 1993-94 campaign. They won eight away league fixtures in the whole of last season.
- They have not won any of their four league matches this season against other established top-six teams (D2, L2). All four fixtures were at Old Trafford, and the only goal they scored was a Bruno Fernandes penalty.
- Fernandes is the first player to win four Premier League Player of the Month awards in a single calendar year.
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to avoid becoming only the third Manchester United manager to fail to win any of his first four league games against Liverpool, after John Chapman (1921-26) and Tommy Docherty (1973-76).
