What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester United vs Liverpool
When: Saturday 11th February, 2012, at 12:45 UK time
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
Vengeance
Manchester United will have one thing on their mind as they grace the Old Trafford pitch against perennial rivals Liverpool in England’s most famous derby, and that is retribution for being knocked out of the FA Cup by the Reds some two weeks ago. The league matters just as much though and only two points separate the Red Devils from Manchester City; their hopes of a twentieth league accolade are alive.
Racism has taken England by the throat recently, with the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand case and that of Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez pouring salt on wounds that the nation itself has been working hard to eliminate. The former tale took a new twist with the resignation of England boss Fabio Capello, while the latter saw Suarez serve an eight-match ban.
This issue needs to stop, according to Sir Alex Ferguson, who is conscious that the Uruguayan will take to the pitch again when the two teams meet: “This is a moment we have to take stock. I think we should do something about it if it’s surfacing again, and really be hard and firm on any form or shape of racism. I know there have been a couple of examples recently, which is not good.”
The task at hand though, is keeping ahead of Liverpool, whose 18 league titles United surpassed last season. “We know we’re in for a tough game”, admitted veteran Ryan Giggs. “It’s the club we tried to catch for so long and now we’ve caught them the challenge is to stay ahead.”
Code of Conduct
For their part, Liverpool know that a win would further elevate them in the rankings, while at the same time damaging Manchester United’s chances of closing the gap on league leaders Manchester City. With an average record on the road so far – Liverpool have won only six of their twelve outings away from Anfield – the 2005 Champions League winners must come together in order to pull off a coup at the Theatre of Dreams.
Setting aside the history between these two clubs, this encounter promises its fair share of controversy as Luis Suarez will be up against the booing Old Trafford fans. While the recent Copa America-winning striker has served his suspension, the dust from the incident has not settled yet, with Suarez claiming that Evra broke a non-written football code the day of the incident.
“I knew what I did and there is a kind of football law that says ‘what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch and that’s the end of the story’. I know against Manchester United it is going to be tense because I’m going to face Evra. But I’m used to having fans whistle at me. I hope nothing unusual happens. I’ll have to forget what happened for that moment”, said the forward.
Coming into this clash off the back of a 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, manager Kenny Dalglish must impress upon his side the need to take whatever chances arise at Old Trafford. The Scot will hope for an end to his side’s misfiring ways this weekend.
Recent form
Manchester United:
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United (28/01; FA Cup)
Manchester United 2-0 Stoke City (31/01; Premier League)
Chelsea 3-3 Manchester United (05/02; Premier League)
Liverpool:
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United (28/01; FA Cup)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3 Liverpool (31/01; Premier League)
Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (06/02; Premier League)
Key absences
Manchester United: Chris Smalling (doubt); Anders Lindegaard; Anderson; Darren Fletcher; Nemanja Vidic; Michael Owen (doubt); Tom Cleverley (doubt)
Liverpool: Jose Enrique (doubt); Lucas Leiva
Players to watch
Manchester United – David de Gea: Despite conceding three goals against Chelsea, De Gea produced an immense save near the end to remind everyone why Ferguson opted for his services in the summer. The Spaniard still has a long way to go to establish himself, but a strong showing against Liverpool – and many others – may ease any remaining doubts.
Liverpool – Luis Suarez: Naturally, eyes will be on the former Ajax man as he meets a very hostile crowd. From a purely sporting point of view however, the Uruguayan continues to be one of Liverpool’s most dangerous attacking options this season, and he is the man who can harm the Red Devils and damage their league hopes.
Match Prediction
Manchester United showed absolute resiliency to come back against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The team are relishing their football at the moment more than Kenny Dalglish’s side, and should just edge a tight contest. Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool.
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