Liverpool vs Manchester United : Scoring the Key Battles
Liverpool vs. Manchester United is arguably the biggest rivalry in English football.
Liverpool have already been beaten twice by United this season, though both those victories came at Old Trafford.
The first of those matches was under the dreadful tenure under Roy Hodgson, where Liverpool were thwarted by a in-form Berbatov. The second time was the FA Cup tie, which was the Kenny Dalglish's first match in charge of the Reds, who, despite playing well, lost out to two questionable calls by Howard Webb.
The recent undefeated run under Kenny Dalglish's leadership was only broken last week in a 3-1 loss against West Ham.
Manchester United, themselves, had been a part of a great undefeated streak for over six months, which was ended by Wolves.
With a loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday and Arsenal close on their heels, United would not like to drop any points, especially with a crucial away tie at the Emirates still to play.
Neither of the teams should be at full strength as both are expected to have some key players missing due to injuries and suspensions.
Martin Kelly is certain to miss the match with Aurelio, Meireles and Agger all still doubtful to play due to injury.
Manchester United have their share of problems in the defense with Vidic suspended and injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans. Even Patrice Evra is doubtful for the clash.
United's last match at Anfield in 2009 saw Liverpool beating them 2-0 with goals from Torres and N'gog and red cards to Mascherano and Vidic.
With both Torres and Mascherano not with Liverpool anymore and N'gog not expected to start, Liverpool would need to look elsewhere for inspiration.
So, lets look at five key battles that could decide the outcome of the match.
Dimitar Berbatov vs. Jamie Carragher
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Berbatov is the top scorer in the Premier League currently and has been in prolific form, including his famous hat-trick against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Carragher has been at the heart of Liverpool defense for almost a decade now and would not have liked Berbatov beating him thrice in their last match.
His absence due to injury since November was one of the reasons why Liverpool was said to be suffering defensively. With a great performance against Chelsea in his comeback match, he is rejuvenated and leads a Liverpool defense which had just conceded once in seven matches before the West Ham game.
With Agger doubtful for the game, Carragher would again need to lead the troops at the back with Skrtel expected to partner Carragher and the inexperienced Wilson to play at left back if Aurelio does not recover.
However, with Rooney to provide support at the front, the Bulgarian is sure to give Carragher more then his share of problems.
Will Carragher's commitment and experience would be enough to stop Berbatov, or will Berbatov's skills and eye for goal beat Carragher on Sunday?
Verdict : With Carragher not getting any younger, Berbatov might just be able to outwit Carragher but whether he scores or not is to be seen.
Nani vs. Glen Johnson
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Since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Nani has really stepped up to become the creative force at United.
With an impressive nine goals and 13 assists already, he is arguably the best player in the United dressing room this season.
Possessing great skills like his Portuguese counterpart, he has been terrorizing defenses with his great dribbling and pace.
Martin Kelly had made the right back position in Liverpool his own this season, forcing the seasoned England international, Johnson to play in the left back position. But with an injury to Kelly, Johnson is expected to return to his preferred role.
The responsibility of stopping Nani from creating those chances for Rooney and Berbatov falls on Johnson's shoulders. Whether he is able to provide an assured performance at his natural position and wrestle back his position from Kelly is yet to be seen.
The United fans would be hoping that Nani turns up for the game as he sometimes has the tendency to go invisible in crucial matches.
Johnson's obvious threat comes from making his runs down the wings but has been found wanting more than once defensively.
Johnson would have to put up one of his most solid performances to stop Nani from continuing his run of impressive games. This game might well turn out to be important for Johnson, not only for his position in the Liverpool team, but also in the English national team.
Verdict : Martin Kelly's injury has tilted the balance slightly in favor of Nani as Johnson does seem to have some defensive frailties.
Steven Gerrard vs. Darren Fletcher
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Gerrard has been the most inspirational figure for Liverpool for the best part of the decade now.
Even in the match against United in September, he was almost single-handedly responsible for getting Liverpool back into the match before Berbatov completed his hat-trick to deny Liverpool any points from the game.
If Gerrard is able to dominate the midfield like he can, Liverpool would be in a great position to win the match.
However, the duty of denying that space to Gerrard to link up with the attacking line would rest with Darren Fletcher.
Fletcher has established himself as one of the most important members of the United midfield in the last two years.
If he is able to stop Gerrard linking up with Suarez and Meireles, he would have effectively stopped all the supply for the Liverpool attack.
With Gerrard returning from yet another injury, the United fans will be hoping that he is not at his best. However, the renewed optimism and confidence in the Liverpool squad is sure to inspire Gerrard to give another of his memorable performances for the Reds.
Verdict : Gerrard hands down. It was not easy for United to keep Gerrard down in Old Trafford, and it won't be easy for them to keep him down at Anfield. With Meireles also coming into his own, the United midfield is in for a tough time.
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Luis Suarez vs. Chris Smalling
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Manchester United is known for its solid duo of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand in the center of defense.
With Vidic's suspension and injuries to Rio Ferdinand and the backup Johnny Evans, it would be up to Chris Smalling to provide the solidity at the center of defense.
The young 21-year-old remains the only recognized center back available with Wes Brown expected to partner him at the back. If Evra is also not able to recover, then United would be forced to field the most inexperienced back four in the recent past, with Rafael and Fabio expected as outside backs.
Chris Smalling finds himself in a very unexpected role of the leader of the defense, and all the Manchester United supporters would be hoping for him to repay Sir Alex's faith in him.
With Suarez impressing in his few outings so far, any strong display against United would almost certainly make him a Kop favourite.
His dribbling skills and eye for goal are almost certainly going to be a problem for the United defense. The expected availability of the record Liverpool signing, Andy Carroll, to partner Suarez at the top of the field might provide Suarez with the support that he has lacked in the last two games.
However, with Suarez barely three games old in the Premier League, how he is able to handle the pressure of such a huge game is still to be seen.
Verdict : The duo of Vidic and Ferdinand might have been good enough to stop Suarez, but with the inexperienced pair of Smalling and Brown, one would bet on Suarez to get the better of them.
Kenny Dalglish vs. Alex Ferguson
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When Sir Alex Ferguson took over Manchester United, Liverpool were dominating the scene in England with Kenny Dalglish at the helm.
20 years on, when Kenny Dalglish returned to take over Liverpool again, the club seemed to be in decline with Sir Alex firmly keeping United on top.
Sir Alex is considered to be a great tactician as well as motivator, and the use of his squad players along with his tactical knowledge is as much responsible for United's impressive showing as the performances on the field.
Kenny Dalglish brought with him a sense of confidence at Anfield. The team seemed to perform much better while playing a more aggressive brand of football as compared to the days of Roy Hodgson.
His decision to play five at the back against Chelsea was considered to be a tactical trump card, and even Ancelloti admitted that one of the reasons that Chelsea lost was because they did not know how to deal tactically with the formation.
With the two great minds trying to outwit each other on the field, the tactical battle would be as interesting as the battles on the field, and the result may finally be decided by who comes out on top in this clash of minds.
Verdict : Too tough to call. Both of them are geniuses in their own respect.
The Verdict
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The contest is expected to be one filled with emotions as players on both sides trying to prove themselves on the grandest stage.
The contest is expected to be a goal fest, as both defenses are suffering with the absence of key players. Hence, a clean sheet for either side is not expected.
With both the teams suffering blips in their form recently, the contest is expected to be a tight one.
But with Manchester United playing the difficult game against Chelsea on Tuesday, the Liverpool squad is expected to be better rested for the match. Hence, the going is a little tougher on the United squad.
No one who has seen Liverpool and Manchester United matches would bet against a red card being shown during the course of the match.
Verdict : Considering that the match is at Anfield, and United had a tougher schedule leading to the match, I would go for a 2-1 victory for Liverpool.
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