Liverpool vs. Manchester United predicted starting XI, lineups: Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah should play

Don’t look now but Liverpool are slowly returning to the Champions League race after a poor start to the season. With losses on Newcastle United and Tottenham on Saturday, the Reds could move up within two points of fourth place. But with a critical match against Manchester United on Sunday, how can Jurgen Klopp ensure that his team avoids another crash, for example by conceding five unanswered goals? real Madrid in the Champions League to lose their first match in the round of 16 5-2 (you can only see all the Champions League action on Paramount+).

The defense has been a bit better lately, keeping four consecutive Premier League clean sheets, but when three were against teams in a relegation battle and another against a Newcastle United ten-man team, it should be taken as a surge, not a fluke. . return to peak defensive form. Despite the injuries, Liverpool’s attack was good, scoring the sixth-most goals scored in the league, but the defense was a concern when they were up against the best strikers they would face at Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag.

It’s a twofold problem as Liverpool have allowed teams to play across midfield which their press has thwarted in past seasons, but when they mix it up and try to sit deep they also lose what they’re good at. still allowing goals. The keys start at the cutting edge, where the loss of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich last summer changed their formation, as Darwin Nunez is not as aggressive on the press as Mane.

This is exacerbated by the fact that the defenders do not have the same level of support as before. thiago not playing that was a lot. He was only available for 24 of the club’s 37 matches this season. And he won’t be ready to face Manchester United due to lack of time due to a hip flexor injury. Young midfielder Stefan Baisetic He’s stepped up lately to stabilize the ship, but lining up against Manchester United will take more than just him to keep things going.

The good news is that Diogo Jota will help both with the press and with a smoother from the three, most likely due to Cody Gakpo. Gakpo has scored two goals in the Premier League since joining Liverpool, but without being a true No. 9, he could get into similar situations as Darwin Nunes.

To whom, has played in the whole trio of strikers and has learned to adapt to Mane floating inside, so his presence allows for more free space for Nunes, while also adding another creative striker to help feed Mohamed Salah. Alone, it won’t be enough to beat Manchester United, but if Liverpool can catch up to United on the day off and also take their chances, the Nunez-Jota-Salah trio could be the key to success.

it won’t stop Marcus Rashford from cutting inside against Trent Alexander-Arnold or Wut Weghorst from occupying centre-backs, but at this point in the season, defense should be a secondary concern for the Reds. With United’s confidence, Jurgen Klopp will need to step up his attack and score as many goals as possible to return to any game. David De Gea as much as possible. It won’t be a major shift for the team from a press-focused approach, but in order to topple the top teams, Liverpool will need to acknowledge their shortcomings and cover them up.

Predicted Lineups

Liverpool: Alisson; Andrew Robertson; Virgil van Dyck; Ibrahima Konate; Trent Alexander-Arnold; Fabinho; Jordan Henderson; Stefan Baisetic; Mohamed Salah; Diogo Jota; Darwin Nunez

Manchester United: David De Gea; Luke Shaw; Lisandro Martinez; Raphael Varane; Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Fred; Casemiro; Marcus Rashford; Bruno Fernandes; Alexander Garnacho; Wut Weghorst