Manchester United will be hoping to recover from a nightmare start to the English Premier League campaign when they host Liverpool on Monday at Old Trafford. After two successive defeats to Brighton and Brentford, United have been abysmal and they have been mercilessly taunted by rival sets of fans. Liverpool, on the other hand, have been steady if unspectacular. Their first two outings have yielded just two points, and they are playing catch up to reigning champions Manchester City.
Historically, Manchester United v Liverpool is one of the most eagerly anticipated EPL fixtures of the season, and we have highlighted a few key stats for you to keep in mind:
- Liverpool are targeting three straight away league victories over Manchester United for the first time.
- This fixture will represent the first top-flight fixture where both teams are winless coming into this match.
- Manchester United haven’t beaten Liverpool since a 2-1 victory over the Merseyside giants in March 2018.
- Monday’s clash will be the 61st time that these two sides have faced off in the EPL.
As always, there will be a surge of activity at US online betting sites which will be well stocked with pre-match lines. To aid you, we have highlighted a few tips that are worth considering ahead of kick-off.
Liverpool to pile the misery on Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag may be a bit perplexed and wondering about the scale of the challenge facing him at United. The Dutchman got his tactics wrong against Brighton and Brentford, and more disconcertingly, United look very shaky at the back. United’s demise has been well documented, but to see them rooted to the bottom of the table after two games is alarming.
On the other hand, Liverpool have hardly set things alight and they have dropped points against Fulham and Crystal Palace. Nevertheless, they look far more potent in attack. The gulf in class between United and Liverpool was evident last season as Liverpool completed a league double, scoring nine unanswerable goals in the process.
Ten Hag could be put through the motions in the dugout, and Liverpool could run out comfortable winners. If you like the look of the winning margin section, then you can get an inviting price of +675 with BetMGM for Liverpool to win by three goals.
Mohamed Salah in on the act
Invariably when Liverpool win, Mohamed Salah usually contributes. Against United last term, Salah ran United ragged as he scored a stunning hat-trick in an emphatic 5-0 win at Old Trafford and then popped up with a double in a 4-0 victory in the reverse fixture at Anfield. The Egyptian international has a fabulous support cast to fall back on, although Jurgen Klopp will be without Darwin Nunez after the summer signing was sent off against Palace.
Salah is too good to keep quiet and he could well hit the target. The joint-top Premier League goalscorer last term is available at a short looking -120 with BetMGM to net anytime against United.
Bruno Fernandes to go into the book
As is often the case with Manchester United v Liverpool, these can be highly combustible fixtures with challenges flying around. The referee could well be kept his toes and he may have some big decisions to make. In the previous clash at Anfield last season, Fernandes was cautioned late on for a mistimed tackle, and the Portuguese midfielder could let his temper get the better of him.
To date, Fernandes has been booked on 19 occasions in the EPL while playing for United. Although the total cards market can be quite tempting to explore, we have singled out Fernandes to pick up a yellow. SugarHouse is carrying a price of +220 which could be worth pursuing.
