Manchester Utd – Liverpool

Don’t expect a hail of goals at Old Trafford

The focal point of the third matchday of the Premier League will be played at the legendary Old Trafford Stadium. The home side, like their upcoming opponents, have had a poor start to the season, so to speak. Before the opening whistle of the opening matchday, bookmakers were predicting Liverpool would finish second in the league, while Manchester United would finish fifth or sixth. After two meetings played, these analysts' predictions do not stand up to criticism: the Red Devils are the last team in the Premier League, while the Merseysiders are fifteenth. Manchester United have lost several players from or close to the starting line-up in the off-season: Pogba, Lingard, Pereira and others. They were replaced by Malacia, Eriksen, Lysandro Martinez and, shortly before the upcoming match, by Casemiro, who moved from Madrid for almost 71 million euros. Manchester United started the season with two defeats. First, two first-half conceded goals from Brighton and then four first-half goals against Brentford left the Mancunians without a single point where they were expected to win two. Certainly, the fans are hopeful that Eric ten Hague will improve the structure of the game, especially in defence, ahead of the forthcoming encounter. Liverpool cannot boast the results of their first matches either. First, the Merseysiders travelled to London as favourites to beat Fulham, but were forced to pull two back after Mitrovic's goals, 2-2. In the second matchday, Klopp's side conceded against Crystal Palace in the first half, lost the suspended Nunez in the 57th minute and only managed to get back into the game 1-1. Two points after two meetings with mediocre opponents against unbeaten Arsenal and Manchester City will certainly push the Reds to play for three points in Manchester. Both teams have excellent attacking potential, but first-round failures should be argued in a head-to-head encounter primarily by a coherent defence. Manchester United and Liverpool have a fair number of players who will not be able to participate in the match. In this regard, no one will be in perfect form.