With the Premier League heading into its eighth game-week, the fans around the globe are eagerly waiting for that one fixture. The red half of Manchester will be making their way to Anfield on Monday night and will be up against their age-long rivals, Liverpool.
Both the sides will be stepping up onto the pitch with a different mentality as United will be looking to gather a motivation as a draw would do the trick for them, while Liverpool will be looking to mark their fifth successive victory in the League. The Merseysiders do have some major injury issues going into the game, but their depth has allowed them to overlook the problem with relative ease.
This will be a battle for pride and blood (not practically). The Merseysiders failed to win any of their previous campaign’s premier league game against the Devils, but they did march them off from the Europa League.
Yes, it is Klopp vs Mourinho yet again, and here are three on-field battles that will decide the course of the game:
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Joel Matip vs Zlatan Ibrahimovic-
A pure physical battle, to say the least. The recently turned 35-year-old Swedish marksman has a point to make as he hasn’t scored a single goal in the Premier League since that humiliating defeat at hands of their noisy neighbors.
Lovren may have returned to the training, but his participation is still uncertain and in that case, Matip will be given the task to keep Ibrahimovic off from the perch. Both the players possess a towering physique hence the aerial battles are obvious and besides that, Ibrahimovic still have those tricky legs and that can hurt Matip one way or the other.
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Philippe Coutinho vs Antonio Valencia-
A battle full of pace. With the addition of Adam Lallana and Gini Wijnaldum in doubt, it remains a mystery as to where Coutinho will start the game. Assuming that he will retain his left attacking spot, then he will be up against the Manchester United’s 31-year-old sprinter, Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian has cemented his spot in the team ahead of Darmian and will be looking forward to impress the manager with his consistent performances.
Well, he might get the better of Coutinho in terms of physique, but the little Brazilian has his own unique ways to cover it up. Coutinho is full of pace and quick feet, a recipe that can trouble any defence in the world. Coutinho though will be getting a regular help from James Milner on the flank, hence he could easily exploit the space left by the Ecuadorian.
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Jordan Henderson vs Paul Pogba-
A battle of two box-to-box stars. Jordan Henderson, before the season kicked off, was a subject of heavy debate regarding his spot in the line-up, but the former Sunderland man made his way all by himself and right at this very moment, he is in great form. The recently crowned England’s skipper has been answering his critics in style and this fixture may act as a stepping stone for the 26-year-old.
On the other side of the pitch, United will be lining up with Paul Pogba, who is yet to make his mark in the League. He had a great game against Leicester, but that never set the tune for the 23-year-old. Surely a tough game for the Frenchman, but a good performance against the Reds can set the rhythm.
