Rivals' Views: Liverpool Vs. Manchester United Preview

Rivals' Views is back, and as it was promised in the Pre-season Edition, I have brought together opinions of the fans of Liverpool and Manchester United before their teams face-off in the massive English Premier League game tomorrow.

Rivals' Views features fans' opinions about their clubs, and their opponents ahead of the big games and also ahead of the season.

I caught up with a couple of fine writers from Bleacher Report, Barney Corkhill (who is now the Liverpool Community Leader) and Jeff Harbert (who is the Manchester United co-Community Leader) and asked them for their views on what is going to be yet another intriguing encounter between the two English giants.

1. How do you think your teams have done until now in the English Premier League?

Barney: The performances so far have been far from convincing, but then again, seven points from a possible nine isn't bad. I think the fact that we are joint top, and have hit nowhere near top gear yet is very encouraging for us. We will need to hit top gear soon though, preferably on Saturday!

Jeff: The season is still young obviously and United have actually played a game less than most clubs due to their involvement in the UEFA Super Cup last month. The opening match against Newcastle was a disappointment, especially considering it was at home. The three points against Pompey were vital, even if it wasn’t the most convincing performance. With Berbatov in the side now, however, United should be more than capable of finding the net.

2. How much of a bearing will the International break have on your players?

Barney: I don't think it will have too much of a bearing on our players, as few of the key players actually played internationally. The gap has given us a bit of time to re-group after the 0-0 draw against Villa and has also given Steven Gerrard and maybe even Fernando Torres enough time to recover.

Jeff: Paul Scholes recently expressed how he hopes United don’t rue the international break and I share his worry. Most of the players will be tired from their travels and will have had very little training with the rest of the squad. But it’s like that for a lot of teams, especially the ones in the big four so I can’t complain. United have enough depth and quality to cope with the strain from the international break.

3. Fernando Torres is definitely out, and with Steven Gerrard almost out for the game on Saturday - do you think Liverpool can get anything out of the game on Saturday?

Barney: Hopefully Torres isn't definitely out, but unless he is 100%, I don't think we should play him. Presuming Torres and Gerrard don't play, I expect Benitez to return to last season's tactics of two defensive midfielders (Mascherano, Alonso/Lucas) and one attacking midfielder (Alonso/Lucas), with two wingers (Babel and Kuyt) and a lone striker (Keane). Hopefully Keane will come good on Saturday and use the extra space there will be without Torres. Playing against Vidic and Ferdinand alone up front though is not easy!

Can we get anything out of the game on Saturday? Yes, we can. But will we? I'm not so sure. A draw with the injuries we have to Gerrard and Torres would be a good result.

Jeff: You can never underestimate a team just because two of their key players are missing. Liverpool are still a strong squad and will be a huge threat to United. Obviously Liverpool would prefer to have them play on Saturday, but with or without them, they still have a great chance of picking up at least a point at home.

4. How do you expect your opponents to perform at Anfield tomorrow?

Barney: I expect them to perform like the Champions they are. Keane will find it very hard against Vidic and Ferdinand, and Rooney and Tevez and perhaps Berbatov will be looking to give Carragher and co a tough time. If Man Utd win, I can, unfortunately, see it either being a 3-0 demolition, or a late goal to grab the 1-0 win like they have done so often recently.

Jeff: People can talk all they want about Anfield being a fortress, but United have done brilliantly there in recent seasons. O’Shea and Tevez got the winners in each of the last Premier League matches there and United will be confident of securing another win in front of the Kop. Liverpool will be hoping to put in a good performance, however, and also shrug off the tag of being under performers against other teams in the big four.

5. What is your prediction for the match?

Barney: I can't decide on one single result but, for once, none of the results I expect are in Liverpool's favour. I can either see a 0-0 draw, or, as said above, a 1-0 or 3-0 win for United. I sure hope I'm wrong but with Gerrard and Torres out, we will find it very tough. Mascherano will be key, as will Ryan Babel and, if Robbie Keane can do well up front, perhaps we could sneak a win. But even I think that's optimistic!

Jeff: I’d prefer not to predict a result as my prediction will most likely be biased. But I can’t wait for the match and hopefully it will be as good of a match as the recent United vs. Liverpool meetings.

Some interesting thoughts from two very talented writers on this network, which I'm sure all of you enjoyed.

I'd like to thank Barney and Jeff for being a part of Rivals' Views.