Liverpool hope to capitalise on Man Utd absentees
- By A.D. Winn on March 4, 2011 15:00 GMT
Reds boss Kenny Dalglish will be looking to dent Manchester United’s chances of obtaining their 19th league title this weekend, as the two sides clash at Anfield on Sunday.
The two rivals – currently equal on 18 domestic league trophies each, will face each other just over a month since their FA Cup clash finished 1-0 to the Red Devils.
This time, however, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are without some major names that could be cause for concern for their fans leading up to this crucial fixture. Michael Owen is unlikely to feature against his old club, Ji Sung Park is still lacking match fitness after a hamstring injury, whilst Johnny Evans, Anderson and Antonio Valencia are not expected back in the first team any time soon.
There are also worries for left-back Patrice Evra, in what could end up being a weakened back-four for United, who will also have Ferguson banned from the touchline.
On a more positive note for United, winger Ryan Giggs is poised to make a club record 607th league appearance for the reds, surpassing Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record.
Nemanja Vidic’s red card against Chelsea means he will miss out alongside the injured Rio Ferdinand, meaning the inexperienced pairing of Wes Brown and Chris Smalling will be at the heart of Manchester United’s defence.
Brown and Smalling will not be pleased with the Liverpool team news, especially their attacking options – club record signing Andy Carroll has spent the last two days training, and may make his debut at some point, whilst Raul Meireles is expected to recover from a knock to the knee.
Liverpool will be pinning hopes on striker Luis Suarez, who will start against United for the first time since arriving from Ajax. The Uruguayan international arrived at the club soon after former striker Fernando Torres departed for Chelsea at the end of January.
Daniel Agger is a doubt for the Merseyside club, who have already lost right-back Martin Kelly to a pulled hamstring.
Form
All Competitions:
Liverpool: WDDWL (4 goals for, 4 against)
Man Utd: WWDWL (8 goals for, 3 against)
Premier League:
Liverpool: WWWDL (6 goals for, 4 against)
Man Utd: WLWWL (11 goals for, 6 against)
Premier League 09/10:
Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United
Premier League 10/11:
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool
