Manchester United vs Liverpool Betting Tips (22/08/22) – Reds Not Hitting the Panic Button Just Yet

The average football season is kind of like that old fable about the hare and the tortoise – it’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish. Mind you, even the sluggish tortoise got some momentum up in the end, and Jurgen Klopp will be mildly concerned that his Liverpool side are yet to win a Premier League game in 2022/23 – especially as champions Man City have blitzed their way to a perfect start and six goals into the bargain.

That’s not to suggest that Fulham, still buoyant after promotion, and the ever-solid Crystal Palace are easy opponents that are there for the taking, but if the Reds have any ambitions of wrestling the Premier League title back these are games that, perhaps, they need to be winning.

Liverpool’s hopes of downing the Eagles were crushed by a moment of brilliance and a moment of madness. Wilfried Zaha deserves plaudits for his sharp touch and finish to put Palace in the lead, but it was the perfectly-weighted pass of Eberechi Eze that had onlookers purring.

And then Darwin Nunez, desperate to impress Anfield on his home debut, took his enthusiasm a little too far, introducing his forehead to that of Palace defender Joachim Andersen and was shown a red card accordingly early in the second half.

A goal down and a man down, Klopp didn’t show any interest in battening down the hatches, and his positivity was rewarded in the 61st minute when Luis Diaz cut inside onto his stronger right foot and lashed a shot past Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal.

It looked incredibly likely that a winner would come – Salah and Fabio Carvalho shelled good chances, while Zaha hit the post, but in the end a point was pleasing for the Reds given the circumstances and probably welcomed by Patrick Vieira too.

There’s no time like the present to play Manchester United, you would think, so Monday’s encounter at Old Trafford will afford Liverpool the chance to finally claim their first ‘W’ of the game.

Liverpool Team News

It’s becoming increasingly evident that the reliance on Thiago and Jordan Henderson in midfield – two players with their fair share of aches and pains – could come back to haunt Liverpool this season.

Both missed out from the start against Palace, and it feels like replacements such as James Milner and Harvey Elliott are perhaps not of the standard required to push for silverware.

Henderson did eventually come on against the Eagles and he should be fine for the United game, but Thiago isn’t expected back until September.

With Darwin Nunez suspended and Diogo Jota injured, Klopp will be forced to start Bobby Firmino in attack – he hasn’t been 100% lately, while at the back both Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip are expected to miss the trip to Old Trafford. Joe Gomez seems the most likely deputy.

Naby Keita should be fit to return in midfield, but on the whole this is not the starting eleven that Klopp would have envisaged putting out in such a big game this early in the campaign.

Manchester United Form

While Liverpool’s start to the campaign has been less than ideal, Manchester United’s has been a spectacular failure.

They were outclassed by Brighton on the opening weekend, but that was nothing compared to the obliteration at the hands of Brentford last week.

The Bees were set up perfectly to deal with United’s high press and play out from the back mentality, and at least two of their goals in the 4-0 win came about via Erik ten Hag’s tactical naivety.

Liverpool fans will be hoping for more of the same come Monday evening….

Manchester United vs Liverpool Betting Tips

Although he’s had another week to work with his players, if seems almost an impossibility that United have improved to the extent that they play like a big six club.

Defensively they have been atrocious, and even though the forced introduction of Firmino will blunt Liverpool’s attack, the Reds have to be expected to win this game and notch a few goals along the way.

You’ll get no joy in the standard match betting – 4/7 is about the best price you’ll find for a Liverpool victory, but we can package a Reds win together with Over 2.5 Goals at 6/5.

There’s not a lot else to say about this contest. Both teams to receive 2+ cards perhaps has legs at 5/6 given the fraught nature of the fixture, and Firmino to score anytime at 15/8 is value enough given the woes at the heart of the United defence.