Premier League Preview: The Intense Clash Between Manchester United and Liverpool Looms, Can United Continue to Be Liverpool’s Nemesis?

At 23:00 on September 1st, the focus of the 3rd round of the 2024/25 Premier League season will see Manchester United host Liverpool at Old Trafford. The “Double Red Clash” has never lacked attention, and in order to avoid potential riots caused by the intense rivalry between fans, the FA decided to advance the kick-off time by half an hour compared to the original schedule. Even before the match begins, tensions have spread from Manchester to Liverpool. For many fans, their team can lose more than ten games in a season, but Manchester United or Liverpool must not be among them.

On the league table, Liverpool has won both of its two matches, accumulating 6 points and temporarily ranking 4th. With consecutive 2-0 victories, Slot has infused his style into the team. Compared to Klopp’s high-pressure, fast-paced transitions across the field, Slot’s Liverpool is more stable and pragmatic, seizing counterattack opportunities decisively without any hesitation, shooting whenever an opportunity arises rather than waiting for the perfect moment. Against Ipswich and Brentford, Liverpool employed the same tactics. The combination of positional warfare with high-speed lightning strikes frequently proved effective. This method consumes less energy from the players, but whether it will continue to work against stronger teams remains to be seen in practice.

Manchester United has 3 points from 1 win and 1 loss, currently sitting 13th. The victory over Fulham in the first round seemed to hint at a “rebirth” of the team’s spirit. However, in the second round against Brighton at home, after a period of deadlock, Manchester United showed familiar flaws, with disorganized attacks and defenses. Ten Hag’s team lacked ambition, and even after personnel adjustments, the entire team remained disjointed. The defeat was thus inevitable. The starting lineup featuring Mount and Rashford failed to demonstrate their value. After this game, the popular topic of “When will Ten Hag be sacked?” once again exploded on social media.

This summer transfer window saw Manchester United making frequent moves, while Liverpool remained almost silent. With signings like Jouro for 62 million euros, Ugarte for 50 million euros, De Ligt for 45 million euros, Zirkzee for 42.5 million euros, and Mazraoui for 15 million euros, Sir Ralph demonstrated sufficient sincerity towards Ten Hag in his first season in charge. If these players can integrate well, Manchester United’s combat effectiveness could be remarkable. On the other hand, Liverpool calmly signed Mamardashvili and Chiesa. Their transfer strategy seems focused on potential personnel changes in the next phase. With Alisson aging and ready to step down, and the Saudis eyeing Salah, who might leave at any time, the club maintains a unified stance, emphasizing that Klopp has left valuable assets for his successor.

According to statistics, there have been 214 “Double Red Clashes” in history. In previous encounters, Manchester United has 83 wins, 60 draws, and 71 losses, holding the upper hand. In the last five meetings, both sides won one and drew three each within regular time. However, in the three encounters last season, every time Manchester United held Liverpool to a draw, it inflicted significant pain on Liverpool. Ten Hag’s team may lose to any team, but they have unintentionally become Liverpool’s nemesis.

The referee for this match is Anthony Taylor, with John Brooks as the VAR referee. Last season, Taylor officiated 27 league matches, issuing 131 yellow cards and only 2 red cards, yet awarding 14 penalties. Therefore, both teams must be extremely cautious with their defensive actions in the penalty area. Coincidentally, one of the Double Red Matches last season was also officiated by Taylor, which ended in a 2-2 draw, with Taylor awarding a penalty to Liverpool in the final moments, which Salah converted.

In this match, several Manchester United players are unable to play due to injuries. Jouro and Hojlund, injured during the preseason, and Mount, who was lost in the last game. In contrast, Liverpool is close to having the full squad available. One of the key adjustments Slot made this season was transforming Gravenberch into a defensive midfielder, with Jota as the sole striker. Facing Manchester United, the new tactics will face their first major test.

>>”>For more predictions and analysis of this match, click >>>