Liverpool take on Manchester United at Anfield this weekend in one of the most hotly anticipated games of the English footballing calendar, with an added edge of both sides being involved in a hugely tense battle for one of the four Champions League spots.
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Liverpool & Manchester United combined XI, with Di Maria, Sterling & Coutinho in 3-5-2 formation
The Reds are currently two points away from fourth placed Manchester United and will go into the Champions League spots with a win against their bitter rivals, having catapulted themselves up the table since new year and going into the game having won five league games in a row.
Here’s how Liverpool are expected to start:
GK: Simon Mignolet
The Belgian stopper’s upturn in fortunes have largely matched his club’s since the turn of the year. Mignolet endured a torrid start to the season in which he made multiple errors costing goals, but recently has seen his shot stopping ability stand up to the toughest tests.
RCB: Emre Can
The Turkish born German has been one of the signings of the season since he joined from Bayer Leverkusen, exhibiting his classy passing out from the back style of play for all to enjoy.
CB: Martin Skrtel
Mr. Consistent for Liverpool this season, and for the last few seasons as well. The Slovakian has played 33 games for the Merseysiders this season and rarely disappoints.
LCB: Mamadou Sakho
The Frenchman has suffered with injuries since making the switch from Paris Saint-Germain and will want to justify his hefty £18 million fee with a run of games in the first team.
RWB: Adam Lallana
A player who maybe hasn’t hit the heights he expected to when he signed for the Reds from Southampton. That said, the England international has improved steadily as the season has progressed and will want to secure a top four spot.
CM: Jordan Henderson
The former Sunderland man looks like a ready made replacement for Steven Gerrard, having grown into his role at Anfield since joining. IT would be hard to argue his worth to the team and he will relish a big game like this one.
CM: Steven Gerrard
The man is Liverpool through and through and would love to put one over Manchester United at Anfield before leaving the club for MLS side LA Galaxy in the summer.
LWB: Alberto Moreno
Signed from Sevilla in the summer, Moreno has acquitted himself reasonably well in the Premier League and has become established in the left wing back role, using his pace to frighten defenders up and down the country.
RW: Raheem Sterling
If reports are to be believed, Sterling could be unsettled at Liverpool with only a year left on his contract and talks having to wait until the end of the season with several of Europe’s top teams sniffing around him. The Reds are unlikely to sacrifice him in their team to take him out of the spotlight though.
ST: Daniel Sturridge
It is these kind of high pressure spectacles which Sturridge will have been disappointed to miss during his long injured spell this season. The England striker has started only eight games this term and will want to get straight back into his stride in this encounter.
LW: Philippe Coutinho
One of Liverpool’s success stories of the 2014/15 season has been the emergence of Coutinho from the shadows. All too often he would play very much on the periphery, but he has shone this term and bent in a few goals to boot.