Two hated rivals meet on Monday with both teams struggling out of the gates in the 2022/23 Premier League season, making for a mouth-watering matchup of sides that will enter with a bit of added desperation sprinkled across both touchlines.
Liverpool travel to the Theatre of Dreams to take on Manchester United, with the Reds having managed just a pair of frustrating draws through the first two games of the season, watching title rivals Man City develop a four-point gap in the table out of the gates.
Their opponents, however, sit in an even more desperate position, with Man United having lost their first two games of a Premier League campaign for the first time since the league’s inaugural season in 1992.
Liverpool have struggled to finish chances in front of net, missing a host of opportunities in draws against Fulham and Chelsea. The Reds are also working through an injury crisis, with several players missing for the first few matches of the season. Man United, meanwhile, have deeper issues under new manager Erik ten Hag, as his side looks leaky at the back and toothless up front.
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Manchester United vs Liverpool betting odds
Liverpool are understandably heavy favorites at Old Trafford after the first two Manchester United results of the season. The Red Devils fell 2-1 to Brighton on opening weekend before being trounced by Brentford 4-0 in Matchweek 2.
The bookmakers also back the game to feature plenty of goals. The over is the favorite, while both teams to score also features odds skewed towards the “yes” result.
| USA (FanDuel) |
Canada (Sports Interaction) |
UK (SkyBet) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Man United Win | +470 | 5.02 | 9/2 |
| Draw | +330 | 4.43 | 16/5 |
| Liverpool Win | -175 | 1.52 | 4/7 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
-174 / +138 | 1.55 / 2.16 | 1/2, 6/4 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-198 / +160 | 1.49 / 2.44 | 1/2, 6/4 |
| Liverpool -0.5 | -175 | 1.55 | — |
| Man United +0.5 | +140 | 2.36 | — |
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Manchester United vs Liverpool prediction
While Liverpool drew their first two matches, a closer look shows they should return to winning ways soon enough.
Liverpool managed two goals against Fulham plus one against Crystal Palace, but the Reds lead the league in expected goals at 4.58 xG through the first two weeks. The attack is producing chances even if the finishing has been poor.
Darwin Nunez will be missing against United due to suspension, while Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are both injured, so it remains to be seen how the Reds will line up in the attack. Whoever plays, the creativity remains top notch and the finishing will come.
Meanwhile, Man United have earned their last-place position. They were beaten on xG in both of their opening matches, although the Brentford game wasn’t as out of hand as the final 4-0 scoreline suggested (the Red Devils conceded just 1.39 xG). While the defensive lapses are concerning for Ten Hag, the impotent attack is far more worrying.
Despite trailing for nearly the entire Brentford game, United generated just 0.90 xG throughout the 90 minutes, with Cristiano Ronaldo isolated as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford looked hopeless to create chances. Through 128 minutes of Premier League play, Ronaldo has taken seven shots, totaling just 0.27 xG, or 0.04 xG per shot, an abysmal rate. The Portuguese superstar has yet to take a shot inside the six-yard box. Man United have deeper issues to resolve.
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Manchester United vs Liverpool best bets & analysis
Man United vs. Liverpool best bet
With Darwin Nunez suspended, plus injuries to Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, it remains to be seen how the Liverpool attack will line up. However, we know that Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will remain heavily involved.
Salah has featured prominently in the Liverpool attack, and opposing teams will naturally focus on locking down the Egyptian. When Nunez was sent off against Crystal Palace, it was Luis Diaz on the opposite wing whose moment of brilliance helped Liverpool earn a point.
The Colombian is a spectacular dribbler and he weaved through the Palace back line before depositing a long-range effort into the top corner. He’s been known to do that in the past, and finally produced an example on the Premier League stage.
With Nunez and a few other Liverpool attackers now sidelined, and Salah the obvious focal point of the opponent’s attention, Diaz could take center stage against a major club rival. Look for Diaz to go at Man United right back Diogo Dalot or whoever he matches up against on his flank.
- Pick: Luis Diaz to score or assist a goal (-105 on FanDuel)
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Man United vs. Liverpool prop: Clean sheet
As mentioned earlier, the most worrying part of the poor Manchester United start has been the anemic attack. A lack of chances for Cristiano Ronaldo has left the Red Devils without many clean looks on goal.
Manchester United have ripped off 32 shots through the first two matches of the season, collecting just a single own-goal on an expected goals (xG) total of 2.32. That’s a paltry 0.07 xG per shot, a meager total that means the Red Devils are not creating good goalscoring chances, and settling for poor efforts from long range.
Of the team’s 32 shots taken, 12 have come from outside the penalty area, amounting to just a 0.02 xG per shot mark. there were also 17 shots that have come from inside the penalty area, but even those sit at just 0.08 xG per shot. Just three efforts have thus far been generated from inside the six-yard box, with those three chances amounting for a third of the team’s expected goals output.
As stated above, Ronaldo’s struggles are at the heart of the issue. With the Portuguese attacker wanting out of Manchester before the close of the transfer window, there’s currently nobody behind him on the United roster who projects to take his place as the danger man up front.
Man United vs. Liverpool prop flier: Red card
A rivalry match between two teams desperate for a positive result? Cue the crunching tackles and late challenges, a recipe for venom and vitriol.
Referee Michael Oliver, who is taking charge of Monday’s game at Old Trafford, isn’t exactly known for letting the cards fly, but there is one thing he did do more than any other Premier League official last season: send players off.
The seven red cards Oliver showed last year topped the league, producing a red card every four matches officiated. It’s the first season that Oliver was a significant source of early showers, so it could be an anomaly, but his six yellows shown through two games this season prove he’s not about to back down from that mantle just yet.
Between the players desperate for a result and a referee who’s not going to shy away from taking drastic measures, this match has a good chance to finish somewhere other than 11 vs. 11.
- Flier: Player to be red carded (10/3 on SkyBet)
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