5 Reasons why Manchester United will struggle against Liverpool

Manchester United take on their age-old rivals Liverpool on Sunday at Old Trafford. The two sides know that once the whistle blows, their form goes out of the window.

Ole Gunnar Soskjaer is under pressure at Old Trafford right now but the board still seem to be backing their manager. However, he is losing the support of the Red Devils worldwide and the Norwegian knows he needs a win at all costs.

Things are not going to be easy for Manchester United as the odds are stacked in Liverpool's favor.

Here are

5 reasons why Manchester United will struggle against Liverpool

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#5 Injury issues for Manchester United

Raphael Varane and Antony Martial are out of the Liverpool clash tomorrow. Manchester United might have more issues as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Marcus Rashford are also doubtful.

While speaking to the media ahead of the big game on Sunday, Ole said:

"We've had some knocks, which you expect during games. That's good, that we get some players giving everything, and then we just have to assess them. I'm not going to rule anyone out from Sunday but I'm not sure if everyone's going to be fit. Anthony is still working on his fitness, hopefully, he's come through today and let's see how he is tomorrow."

"Games like Wednesday will always bring knocks and bruises. We have two or three with knocks but I hope I can pick from a fit squad. Bruno might be a doubt but he's doing everything he can to be fit. I can't say if Fred will be fit or not. We might have the whole squad fit but may miss two or three. We'll see."

Bruno will undoubtedly be the biggest miss for the Red Devils are they need him to create chances. Manchester United fans will be praying that the Portuguese star is fit to play at least in the second half.

#4 Attackers not clicking

After pursuing him for over the entire summer of 2020, Manchester United acquired Jadon Sancho in 2021. The Englishman was seen as the missing piece in the Red Devils attack but, he has so far, turned out to be the clog.

The addition of Cristiano Ronaldo sure made the Manchester United attack look ruthless on paper. But on the pitch, they worked better with Edinson Cavani up front. Ole needs to work on a tactic to get the attack ticking with the Portuguese superstar as they need the three up front to be at their best tomorrow.

#3 Manchester United's midfield will get overrun

Manchester United's midfield has not been great this season with Fred, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay putting in sub-par performances. They have not been able to control the flow of the game and against Liverpool, it might get worse.

Jurgen Klopp's side love to have possession of the ball for the majority of the game and usually end up doing it. The Derby is going to be very similar and even if Ole starts with all three of his defensive midfielders, they could run into trouble. However, Fred is a doubt, so it very likely to be McTominay and Matic in the pivot.

#2 Jurgen Klopp's Gegenpress

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool team press hard and fast

Manchester United have not done well when teams have pressed them and that is precisely Jurgen Klopp's main tactic. The German manager loves to see his team press together and they will be looking to win the ball high up the pitch.

Harry Maguire has not been at his best and the press from Leicester City last week saw him make a few too many errors. He was unable to react quickly and was sloppy with his passes – making things easier for the Foxes in their 4-2 win.

Liverpool's players are bound to target the Manchester United captain tomorrow as they know he is their best chance of getting the ball close to the box. Salah and Mane have the pace to close in on the Englishman with ease. Meanwhile, Jota and Firmino also possess enough pace to outrun Maguire when needed.

#1 Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life

Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life and he is bound to do his best in the biggest game of the weekend. The Egyptian has been touted as the best in the world right now and even Jurgen Klopp could not stop himself from comparing his star forward with Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I never thought about that, why should we compare? Both are world-class players, that's how it is. I would say even when Ronaldo's left foot isn't that bad, Mo's left foot is probably better, Cristiano may be better in the air and with his right foot. Speed-wise, both are pretty quick and desperate to score goals, maybe that's it but I never thought properly about that and I'm not too interested in comparing, sorry," said the Liverpool boss.

Without a doubt, Salah will be the man to keep an eye on and with the Egyptian playing from the right flank, Luke Shaw and Maguire will have their work cut out.