Liverpool vs Manchester United 20/01/20

20 January 2020

Liverpool take on Manchester United in a massive Premier League (PL) matchup at Anfield this weekend, determined to erase the memory of a dismal 1-1 draw at Old Trafford back in October.

A narrow 1-0 away triumph over Tottenham last weekend made it 20 wins from 21 PL outings for Jurgen Klopp’s men (D1), who are confident of clinching their first-ever Premier League title. What’s more, the Merseyside giants have won each of their previous 12 league games, with five of their last victories accompanied by a clean sheet. The reigning Champions League holders have not only won all 11 of their PL fixtures at Anfield, but they’ve conceded just nine home goals so far -fewer than any other side in England’s top-tier. Although unbeaten in their last three top-flight H2Hs with United, the Reds have won just once across those matches (D2), with two of those H2Hs seeing both teams score. Liverpool’s success in this encounter will not necessarily depend on the opening goal, but Klopp’s men have opened the scoring in nine of 11 PL home matches, pulling off remarkable comebacks in the other two.

A goalless first-half with Wolves in the FA Cup during the midweek means that United have now drawn a blank in the first period in four of their last five competitive fixtures. The Red Devils have endured mixed fortunes in their past four PL road trips (W2, D2), with three of those results (win/loss) coming via the identical 2-0 score. Conceding the opening goal here could prove fatal for United, who have returned just one point from six PL away games where they’ve shipped the opener. Another potential worry for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is that his players have failed to beat Liverpool in each of their last three PL trips to Anfield (D2, L1), scoring just once across those clashes. Goalscoring problems have been troubling United this season, especially on the road. Indeed, the Old Trafford outfit have netted an average of 1.09 per PL away match, drawing a blank in five of their last nine such fixtures.