Another instalment of the heated Northwest Derby takes place in Merseyside this weekend as Liverpool look to get back on track in the Premier League when they welcome Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday. The Reds dropped down to second in the table following a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea before the international break, while United are 10th after shutting out Sunderland 2-0.

The Preview 

The international window came at a good time for Arne Slot as his Liverpool side are reeling from three difficult outings, all of which ended in one-goal defeats.

Over that stretch, his side has looked a lot more human than we saw for most of last season, already losing two Premier League affairs in 2025-26, something that didn’t happen until matchday 31 of the previous campaign. Returning to Anfield may be precisely what they need to bounce back, with the Reds winning all five of their competitive fixtures at home so far this season. 

Domestically, the Reds have not lost a single top-flight fixture at Anfield this year, with their previous home defeat in this competition occurring in September 2024 against Nottingham Forest (1-0).

It has been a long time since this team walked away with nothing from a Premier League contest at Anfield in October, with their last home defeat in the top flight occurring in 2010 against Blackpool (2-1). Liverpool have won their last 10 home matches against the Red Devils across all competitions, with perhaps the most memorable being a 7-0 hammering in Merseyside in front of Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish in 2023.

Manchester United return from the international break off a solid home victory versus newly promoted Sunderland, their third in a row at Old Trafford in this competition. Away from home, things have not been so rosy. However, the Red Devils claimed just one point from three top-flight outings this season as the visitors, losing those last two outings by a combined margin of 6-1. This team are riding an eight-match Premier League winless run away from home, with Ruben Amorim’s side conceding a combined 18 times over that stretch.

You wouldn’t know it given all the criticism he receives daily, but Amorim is the first Manchester United boss to win his 50th competitive game in charge since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson achieved that feat in 1987. The Portuguese coach has a chance on Sunday to become just the third Premier League manager to win his first two away matches in this competition against the reigning champions, after his team defeated Manchester City last December (2-1). 

Manchester United have not claimed maximum points versus Liverpool at Anfield since January 2016 (1-0 win), but have also lost just one of their previous six competitive fixtures against them, coming back to earn a 2-2 draw in this exact outing last season with a goal 10 minutes from time.

Team News

Ibrahima Konaté suffered a quad injury in the defeat to Chelsea and is questionable for Sunday, as are Alisson and Stefan Bajcetic due to hamstring strains, while Giovanni Leoni is out for a long time due to an ACL tear. Hugo Ekitiké will be pushing to start after coming off the bench the last time out, despite a muscle strain featuring in both of France’s World Cup qualifiers during the international window. Cody Gakpo had the lone Liverpool strike against the Blues, while the Dutchman netted the opening goal the last time they hosted the Red Devils at Anfield.

As for Man United’s side, Noussair Mazraoui could be sidelined due to a knock, while Lisandro Martinez is doubtful with a knee injury. Meanwhile Amorim could also be without Ayden Heaven this weekend, after the defender was sidelined because of a minor knock in their previous outing. Mason Mount and Benjamin Šeško scored first-half goals for them against Sunderland, while Senne Lammens stopped the three shots that he faced for his first career Premier League clean sheet.

Predicted XI