The third round of the new Premier League season continues on Sunday evening, with the main event of the weekend kicking off at 4:00 PM.
The League’s most heated rivalry will be rekindled as Manchester United hosts their biggest rivals, Liverpool.
This is the biggest fixture of the season so far, and a win for either team will send a message of intent to the rest of the League.
United will see this game as one they need to win to show how much progress they have made compared to last season.
After an encouraging first season under Erik Ten Hag, the second season was a much more difficult one. Although it ended with FA Cup glory, they had their lowest League finish in the Premier League era.
There were even strong suggestions that if United had lost in the FA Cup final to Manchester City, Ten Hag may not have kept his job, but the cup triumph has seemingly kept him in a job.
Despite the suggestions that he may have been sacked, Ten Hag has remained confident and is looking forward to the new season, where they will be looking to win silverware and return to the top of the League.
“We won an FA Cup, we won a Carabao Cup, but also we have high expectations from ourselves,” Ten Hag said, as he previewed the new season.
“We know it doesn’t come overnight; we have to work for it. We are highly ambitious, so we have to raise our standards day by day, and improve every day.
” Every time, we have to live with the line in our head: good is not good enough. We have to do better. “
Asked what United require to return to the top of English and European football, Erik replied:
“We’re working on this. I said it, and it’s a fact: United didn’t win, for over six years, a trophy. Now we’ve won two, but we are up for more and for higher titles, like the English title, and even more, like going into Europe.
” That’s a process that takes time, and we’ll work on it, but I know with the set-up at the club, with the changes to the structure, and the changes to infrastructure here around Carrington, we will be ready for the future. We will improve.
“You feel it here, it gives a new energy, it gives a new dynamic and that will help us to achieve our targets. In the short-term, it stays the same: we want to win every game, and we have seen we are capable of beating everyone.”
The Dutchman has been chosen to lead the new era of Manchester United by INEOS but it remains to be seen if he will last the entire campaign.
With how last season went, he will be under an even greater pressure to have his team perform well and get victories, especially in matches like this one.
A good performance and win against Liverpool will definitely be seen as an encouraging sign for the future.
Liverpool on the other hand are heading into a new era of their own. Arne Slot is not at the helm and the new era is fully underway with the Reds.
For a lot of supporters, this will take some getting used to after nearly a decade of Jurgen Klopp in charge but there is no better way to cure such a problem than winning games and there is no bigger game to win than this one.
The challenge for Slot is not a small one, but he is not afraid of the task of being Klopp’s replacement.
Continuity is also a key reason he was hired, and he also suggested that this be the case in his first interview as Liverpool’s boss.
“I think there are, and I think that is also one of the reasons why I came in, because I think the way Liverpool ‘scouted’ me – I’m not sure if that is the right word to use – they were looking for, not the same type, but I think when something has been successful [with] a certain way of playing, you would like to extend this or to go on with this. This is probably one of the reasons they came to me as well.
“I am wearing the new jersey, and, of course, there is change, but a lot of things are still the same as well. I think the players are still the same, which is probably the most important thing because, of course, we as managers sometimes tend to think that we have a lot of influence, which we can have, but in the end, it comes down to the players.
“And I think the fans are still the same; so many things are still the same. Yeah, we are going to try to work on what Jürgen left behind, and we will see a lot of similar things. But, of course, I bring my things to the table as well, and I think that’s also what is expected of me.”
Beating United at Old Trafford will not be an easy task for the Reds as they are winless in their last two League matches at the Theatre of Dreams. Their most recent visit was also a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the FA Cup so recent history is not on their side.
They may not have had much recent success but they will still be seen as favorites to win this match on paper. If they can play to their strengths as a team, they may have too much quality for United in the Derby.
Match Tickets
Manchester United vs Liverpool tickets can be found online for fans looking to purchase. As usual, a sold-out crowd is expected at Old Trafford for their second home game of the new season.
Manchester United fans would be up for the fixture, and the supporters will be cheering on their team from the first till the final whistle.
The game will be played at Old Trafford on Sunday, 1st of September at 4:00 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom, where Sky Sports’ coverage reaches, will be able to enjoy the game at that time.
The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the League’s broadcast partners in their province for the game.
Team news
Manchester United go into this huge match without any injury concerns at the moment. There will be a bit of a selection headache for Ten Hag in some positions though as he will try to figure out who will start at center forward and right wing for this big game.
The Reds also have a clean bill of health going into this game and will play with their strongest team. They hope not to run into any injury complications for any of their players at that time.
Lineups
Ten Hag’s team will feature 18-year-old wonderkid, Leny Yoro in the starting lineup alongside Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the defence. Joshua Zirkzee will get the start in this game ahead of Rasmus Hojlund at the point of attack.
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford, Zirkzee
Liverpool will mirror Manchester United’s 4-2-3-1 formation, with Dominik Szoboszlai playing as the number 10 behind Darwin Nunez up front. Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo will be the double pivot behind him in midfield.
Liverpool: Allison ; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai, Diaz, Salah, Nunez.
Prediction
Both teams have a lot to prove and would have marked this fixture in their respective calendars as the game where they will make their presence felt in the Premier League. Both teams will try to impose their style on the match, and it promises to be an entertaining affair from start to finish.
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool
