‘You’d be surprised’ Merson makes Liverpool v Manchester United prediction ahead of Anfield clash
Paul Merson has shared his forecast for the upcoming captivating Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United.
On Sunday afternoon, United will aim to maintain their impressive performance under Erik ten Hag as they head to Anfield.
The team is currently going through an outstanding phase, having risen to the third spot in the Premier League standings, won the EFL Cup, and eliminated Barcelona from the Europa League.
The recent victory in the EFL Cup marked their first trophy win since 2017, with the possibility of achieving more under the guidance of Ten Hag in his debut season in Manchester.
Although Liverpool has won three of their previous four matches, the team has had a disappointing season, currently standing at sixth place in the Premier League, trailing leaders Arsenal by 21 points.
In the Champions League last month, Jurgen Klopp’s team was subjected to a humiliating 5-2 loss to Real Madrid. According to Merson, Liverpool may unintentionally assist United’s cause on Sunday.
‘This is how quickly football changes. You’d be surprised if Manchester United got beaten here,’ Merson told Sportskeeda.
‘How many times have we been able to say that about this game in the last few years? The way Manchester United are playing, they will take the game to Liverpool.
‘They are excellent on the counter and their players seem to make the right decisions whenever they break.
‘United will want Liverpool to have a go at them so that they can hit them on the counter. Klopp’s side could play right into United’s hands on Sunday.
‘Marcus Rashford will be looking to put Trent Alexander-Arnold under pressure much like Vinicius Junior did in the Champions League a couple of weeks ago.
‘If Manchester United beat Liverpool, their confidence will be high and they will keep themselves in the title race for now.
‘A win would be massive for Liverpool as they will get closer to the top four with that. A couple of successive wins could be huge for them.
‘Erik ten Hag seems to know exactly how to handle his players. Tactically, he is very good. In the Carabao Cup final, his substitutions were spot on and he made the right decisions.
‘He killed the game at the right time by making some really good defensive substitutions. It just shows you that a club just needs a good manager to maximize their potential.
‘As for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah hasn’t been good this season after signing a new contract. Both the Golden Boot winners from last season have been poor this term.
‘Teams are always looking to silence Salah and that puts him at a disadvantage. Having said that, I wouldn’t sell him at the end of the season though because unless Liverpool are sure they can get an upgrade, there is no point to it.
‘But I do believe that there are plenty of players in Liverpool’s midfield who need to go. All their Premier League rivals will strengthen in the summer and Liverpool will need to keep up.
‘They’ll need to rejig their setup because the current one is not working like it used to. I think they’ll lose here, 2-1.’
‘You’d be surprised’ Merson makes Liverpool v Manchester United prediction ahead of Anfield clash
