Reds to put a spoke in Ole's wheel
Arguably the biggest match of the Premier League season thus far will take place at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Unlikely leaders Manchester United will make the short trip west to Liverpool very much in the ascendancy, even without being wholly dominant or consistently playing anything like scintillating football. Although the hosts will not be roared on by the Kop, this will be the truest test yet of Ole Gunnar Solskjær's credentials against opponents who have been operating within themselves for large spells of the season, but who nevertheless could swat the Red Devils aside if that trend can be reversed. Read our preview here:
Matip for the future
Making de Gea
Paul Pogba's goal and general performance were decisive during the keenly fought contest at Burnley, and have surely earned him a starting position in his favoured left-sided role of a(n attacking) midfield three. Mason Greenwood is likely to drop to the bench as a consequence in a move that makes sense in this type of match. Elsewhere, Fred and Scott McTominay will continue to be the double pivots, and it will all be on them to disrupt the link-up play Liverpool's more attack-minded individuals are capable of weaving in tandem. Victor Lindelöf is a big doubt at the heart of the defence, so Eric Bailly will deputise. The Ivorian has fallen in recent months from the first name to be pencilled into the back four to almost not making the bench, and he will have it all to do against the best front three in the league. Worse still, David de Gea is having a poor campaign, barely mustering a clean sheet and looking very susceptible when facing shots from long range - plenty of players in red are capable from outside the area.
Klopp to trot
Are United in a false position at the top? That remains to be seen, and even a defeat on Sunday would only knock them off their perch by virtue of goal difference. Rarely do single matches decide the course of a season, and this one still has just over half left to run. Even with a notable list of absentees, Klopp must wring out more consistency from his troops, and a great time to gather some lost momentum at United's expense would be a huge psychological boost. In what should be an open affair, bet365 have odds of 2.75 for a cracker - over 3.5 goals.
