Liverpool have been in dodgy form this season in the Premier League and the defending champions are struggling to even get back into the top-four of the table.
The Anfield outfit are currently sixth on the league table and next up they take on Manchester United, a club who are in peak form going into Sunday’s game.
Given the current circumstances, Man United are said to be the favourites in this match but pundit Michael Owen believes this is going to be an intense and closely-fought contest since the home side will allow Liverpool to dominate possession and then look to hit them on the counter.
He wrote for BetVictor: “Both these sides played out a 0-0 draw at Anfield earlier in the season. That was followed by another close encounter in the FA Cup, a game United won 3-2, so I believe we could be in for another tight match here.
“Away from home United have been sensational this season. Their home form had been a bit patchy up until recently, however, they come into this undefeated at Old Trafford in six league matches.
“I think United will happily give Liverpool some territory here in the hope they can catch them on the counter. To some degree, I think this can work, although it will be hard to keep Liverpool out playing like this over the full 90 minutes.
“With that in mind, I could see this one ending all square with both sides cancelling each other out.”
Man United could very well throw caution to the wind since they have nothing much to gain from this encounter. And Ole might also rest some of his key players for the second leg against Roma in the Europa League.
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But as things stand, Man United take a four-goal lead into the game so the semi-final is more or less wrapped up. And this is a big reason why Solskjaer could take the shackles off of his players on Sunday.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have managed to score only 55 goals from 512 shots in the Premier League this season and even with the ball at their feet, they look clueless more often than not(which is in total contrast to the previous season).
If Liverpool are to overcome the tactical boundaries set by Manchester United then players like Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will have to take centre-stage or less we don’t see them picking up anything from this game.
Also, anything other than a win will push them further down the table and then they might not even qualify for the Europa League next season.
