Liverpool vs Manchester United preview: team news, kick-off, TV & referee

It's the big one for Liverpool this weekend in the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp's side welcoming bitter rivals Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds find themselves top of the table heading into Gameweek 17 and have been flying, at least in terms of results, in the Premier League. Despite a 2-1 defeat for a youthful Liverpool side in the Europa League midweek, Klopp's boys should be full of confidence.

For Man Utd, things have been significantly bleaker. The Red Devils crashed out of Europe altogether on Tuesday after a limp defeat to Bayern Munich and were battered 3-0 at home to Bournemouth in their last domestic outing.

With a raft of injuries and confidence at an all-time low, Liverpool couldn't have asked to play their fierce foes at a better time.

With the Reds aiming to emulate their famous 7-0 victory in this exact fixture last season, let's take a closer look at Sunday's Premier League clash.

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DATE, KICK-OFF, STADIUM, REFEREE & VAR

• Date: Sunday, 17 December 2023

• Kick-off time: 16:30 GMT / 11:30 ET / 08:30 PT

• Stadium: Anfield

• Referee: Michael Oliver

• VAR: John Brooks

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

With 239 past meetings between the two biggest clubs in English football, Liverpool and Man Utd have plenty of history.

A fixture that dates all the way back to 1894 when Man Utd were called Newton Heath, it's the clash that means most to both sets of supporters.

Man Utd do boast a slightly better record in this fixture, winning 90, drawing 68 and losing just 81 of their meetings with the Reds, but recent history has massively favoured Liverpool.

Klopp's men have won six of their last 11 battles with Man Utd, losing on just two occasions. At Anfield, the Reds are unbeaten in their last eight in this fixture.

Of course, last season's Merseyside meeting was arguably the most memorable there has ever been. Liverpool put seven unanswered goals past a dismal Man Utd side, with braces from Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah added to by a late Roberto Firmino strike.

WHERE TO WATCH LIVERPOOL VS MAN UTD

Supporters in the United Kingdom will be able to tune into the big game on Sunday, providing they have a subscription to Sky Sports.

For those in North America, the game can be broadcast on fuboTV in Canada and Peacock in the United States. In Australia, the game will be shown on Optus Sport.

There are a myriad of different broadcasters across Europe, including the likes of Viaplay and DAZN.

Match commentary, highlights and full match replay will be available after the game on LFCTV and you can also keep a track of the game by monitoring Anfield Watch's social media channels.

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS

Having managed to get through the dead rubber with Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday without any new injury concerns, Klopp will be fairly content with the options he has at his disposal this weekend.

Thiago, who still hasn't played for the Reds this season, remains sidelined until next year, joined by Stefan Bajcetic and Andy Robertson.

Joel Matip will likely be out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear, while Diogo Jota's somewhat mysterious injury problem hasn't resolved itself prior to Sunday's meeting with Man Utd.

There is also bad news for Alexis Mac Allister, the midfielder suffering a nasty cut on his leg during Liverpool's victory over Sheffield United in early December. While Klopp hopes to have him back before the end of the year, he will be absent for the visit of Erik ten Hag's men.

MAN UTD TEAM NEWS

Man Utd could quite feasibly name a starting XI of injured and suspended players that is stronger than the team they will field at Liverpool this Sunday, the injuries piling up at Old Trafford.

Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were the latest doubts for the trip to Anfield, both substituted during defeat to Bayern midweek. Maguire will be missing at the weekend, joining Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof in the treatment room, but Shaw has recovered in time.

Jadon Sancho remains out of the first-team picture after his public falling out with Ten Hag, while Amad Diallo, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and previous Liverpool target Mason Mount will all be out.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also missed the clash with the Bundesliga champions through illness but are likely to return for the weekend, while captain Bruno Fernandes will be suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bournemouth last Saturday.

LIVERPOOL PREDICTED LINEUP

With the bulk of Liverpool's first-choice starters offered a rest on Thursday night, Klopp's men should be in good physical shape for Sunday's blockbuster.

Ibrahima Konate was substituted at half-time in Belgium and will likely start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, the two sitting in front of Alisson. Trent Alexander-Arnold will almost certainly take residence at right-back despite recent forays into midfield, while Kostas Tsimikas should start on the left.

Wataru Endo was also withdrawn at half-time against Union Saint-Gilloise and will start in the holding role in place of the injured Mac Allister. Dominik Szoboszlai will feature to his right, while Ryan Gravenberch, who also made a cameo midweek, is likely to start on the left of the Japanese international.

The front three pretty much picks itself given Gakpo started on Thursday and Jota is still injured, with Luis Diaz, Nunez and Salah up top for the Reds.

(4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Gravenberch; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.

SCORE PREDICTION

All signs point to another mauling for Man Utd this weekend and it's hard to argue against a comfortable victory for Liverpool. However, the Red Devils still have some talented players within their ranks and this rivalry is always capable of throwing up surprises.

If Liverpool play anywhere near their best though, they should have far too much in the tank for an injury-stricken, out-of-form Man Utd side who have already conceded three or more in nine different fixtures this season.

Buoyed by a larger than usual Anfield crowd, it should be another fun derby day for the Reds.

Liverpool 3-0 Man Utd