Pre-match information
The 3-point gap between Manchester United and Liverpool in the Premier League standings is becoming a catalyst for an open confrontation. In general, both teams have almost touched the ticket to the UEFA Champions League next season.
One day before the great battle at Old Trafford, Newcastle United indirectly "helped" when defeating Brighton 3-1. This result pushed Brighton down to 7th place with 50 points and almost only hope of competing for a Europa League spot.
That situation further strengthens Man United's position, as they create a 10-point gap with Brentford - ranked 6th - while the season is only 3 rounds away. This means that the Champions League ticket is almost certainly in the hands of the "Red Devils".
Brentford, despite just winning West Ham United 3-0 to get 51 points, is also unlikely to catch up with Liverpool (58 points), as the remaining schedule is too harsh with opponents such as Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Liverpool themselves.
Experts believe that Liverpool needs 5 more points to secure a spot, but in reality, they may only need 1 point. Even, they do not necessarily have to get points at Old Trafford, when they can complete the task when hosting Chelsea at Anfield.
This scenario is even clearer if Chelsea does not beat Nottingham Forest. According to Opta's prediction, Liverpool and Aston Villa both have 97.6% chance of winning a Champions League ticket.
In the context that point pressure is no longer too heavy, the confrontation at Old Trafford is expected to be open, more dedicated than calculated.
Liverpool entered the match with confidence after a series of victories against Fulham, Everton and Crystal Palace. However, they faced difficulties against top teams when they only won 1 in the last 12 matches against top 3 teams.
Liverpool's away form is also unstable, with only 4 wins in 23 matches against teams in the upper half of the table. Meanwhile, Man United under Michael Carrick showed significant stability, winning the most points in the league since he took over in January.
In the first leg at Anfield, Man United won 2-1 with goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire, while Cody Gakpo scored a consolation goal for Liverpool.
Recent history shows that Liverpool has improved their performance at Old Trafford, winning 3 out of 5 recent away games - equal to the number of wins in the previous 18 away games.
