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The biggest game of the season takes place on Sunday, with Liverpool entertaining Manchester United at Anfield in front of an empty stadium. Such is the world we currently live in, it will be an eerie and bizarre spectacle, but one that has a lot riding on it at the top of the table.
Manchester United enter this game in good form, having overcome Burnley away from home in a difficult match during the week, while Liverpool’s last Premier League match was down at Southampton, where they lost 1-0.
Here are three key battles to keep your eyes on that will set the tempo of the match.
#3 Paul Pogba v Gini Wijnaldum
It is fair to say that Paul Pogba’s a divisive character at Manchester United, but his performances since the end of 2020 have been magnificent for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
At times, when others around him have looked burnt out, Pogba has risen to the occasion and delivered the type of performances that fans knew they could count on him for.
While he might not be as consistent as fans had hoped since arriving in 2016, he has always had the ability to win matches from midfield and run the show. In his last game, against Burnley, the France international came up with the winning goal and secured the three points for the Red Devils.
Liverpool might not be at full strength on Sunday, but Gini Wijnaldum is always a difficult player to play against and one of his tasks will be to prevent the Frenchman from playing his natural game.
Whoever comes out on top in this midfield battle is likely to have the license to dictate the game.
#2 Edinson Cavani v Joel Matip / Fabinho
The Uruguay international came back into the fold in the last Premier League outing after serving a three-match ban and showed why Manchester United need his relentless energy from the front.
Liverpool could be without Joel Matip, which would mean a center back partnership of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson. In any event of who plays, Cavani has the task to put untold amounts of pressure on Liverpool’s back line to force mistakes.
Cavani has built a career on pressurizing defenders and will prove pivotal in Manchester United securing a foothold early on in the game by leading from the front. With his killer instincts inside the box, the Red Devils have a fantastic opportunity to cause havoc in Liverpool’s 18-yard area.
Big games are made for big players and Cavani certainly fits into the mold of that. However, Matip reportedly took part in training yesterday and could well be fit for the crucial Premier League encounter at Anfield.
#1 Andrew Robertson v Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Arguably the most interesting match-up of the game will be down the wing between Andrew Robertson, Liverpool’s left-back, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Manchester United’s right back.
Robertson has built a solid reputation of being a sensational crosser of the ball and one who is always a threat in the final third for Jurgen Klopp’s team. Wan-Bissaka, on the other hand, is a masterful out-and-out defender that rarely gets beaten one-on-one.
And so, the battle from start to finish is going to be intriguing. If Robertson can get the better of Wan-Bissaka down his left-hand side, Liverpool should have a field day in terms of deliveries into the box and attacking opportunities.
But if the Englishman keeps Robertson quiet, a large proportion of the Reds’ attacking output suddenly dries up and gives Manchester United an untold amount of confidence.
