Man United will be without five players for their trip to Liverpool on Sunday, but a couple of key men are back from suspension.
The Reds face one of their most important fixtures of any season when they host the Red Devils this weekend.
It is never easy to predict this fixture, however, and Ruben Amorim’s side still have individuals who can produce match-winning moments.
United are having to contend with plenty of injury problems currently and five players are expected to be missing on Sunday.
Marcus Rashford is one of those missing, with the 27-year-old expected to be ruled out through illness.
He has fallen completely out of favour under Amorim, but seeing him out is a boost for Liverpool, considering he has scored seven times against them in the past.
Meanwhile, United’s new head coach has also confirmed that veteran defender Jonny Evans is missing, as is the case with fellow centre-back Victor Lindelof.
Luke Shaw continues to be out, appearing for just 68 minutes in the Premier League this season, and Mason Mount completes the absentees.
On the plus side for United, captain Bruno Fernandes is back after serving a one-match ban, with the same applying to summer midfield signing Manuel Ugarte.
For Liverpool, Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate are back in training, as is Federico Chiesa, but Joe Gomez is out for a “few weeks” with a hamstring issue.
On paper, the Reds are comprehensive favourites to beat United, given their superb form and their 14th-place rivals’ struggles.
Anything other than a win for Liverpool would be a huge disappointment this weekend, with their superiority over their rivals huge this season.
For Slot, it’s a case of trying to get his players to treat it like a normal game at home to bottom-half opposition, although the emotion of the occasion can make that difficult.
Three more points would be another big step in the right direction for Liverpool, as they look to begin 2025 in style.
Potential Man United XI vs. Liverpool: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Mainoo, Ugarte, Dalot; Diallo, Fernandes, Hojlund.
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