Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Man Utd Predicted Line-up for Liverpool


Tue 19 Apr 2022 | 06:00 PM
Mohamed Helba

Two behemoths of the English game fighting for different end-of-season goals pit their wits against one another on Tuesday night, as Liverpool play host to Manchester United at Anfield in the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp's side head into the game having just booked their spot in the FA Cup final, while the Red Devils were indebted to a current and former hero in a 3-2 league win versus Norwich City.

One domestic title is already in the bag, they are potentially only 270 minutes away from a seventh Champions League crown, and another trip to Wembley awaits this rampant Liverpool side, whose fans are growing more optimistic about a possible quadruple with each passing week.

The Reds blew Manchester City out of the water with three quickfire goals in their FA Cup semi-final - two for Sadio Mane and another header from Ibrahima Konate - and Pep Guardiola's men could not spark a miraculous turnaround despite restoring some parity through Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish.

The Easter period has not been kind to Liverpool's jellied legs, but incredibly, the AXA treatment room is virtually empty, and Klopp's side remain within touching distance of reigning Premier League champions City after rescuing a 2-2 draw at the Etihad last week.

Teams News: 

Liverpool were handed a slight scare with Diogo Jota ahead of the FA Cup semi-final, but the Portuguese attacker was fit enough to come on as a substitute at Wembley after shaking off that knock.

Klopp is therefore expected to be working with a fully-fit squad once again and will likely shuffle the pack a tad, with Joel Matip expected to come back in for Konate, despite his recent hot streak in front of goal.

Jordan Henderson could also take the place of Naby Keita in midfield, and a well-rested Roberto Firmino staked his claim for more minutes in the attack with a well-taken brace in the recent Champions League meeting with Benfica.

In contrast, Man United do have a number of players occupying spots in the medical bay, as Rangnick once again works around a depleted midfield with Fred (hip) and Scott McTominay (foot) both set to miss out once more.

Striker Edinson Cavani and left-back Luke Shaw are definitely sidelined until at least May with their respective issues, and the latter is now highly unlikely to return before the season concludes.

Reports had falsely claimed that Mason Greenwood was due to return to first-team training with the Red Devils - the striker remains suspended by the club - but on a positive note, Raphael Varane is in with a chance of returning for this game or the imminent meeting with top-four rivals Arsenal.

It would not be surprising to see Rangnick introduce Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nemanja Matic for some more defensive solidity, which will surely see Jesse Lingard sacrificed after he made his first league start of the season against Norwich.

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles; Matic, Pogba; Elanga, Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo