Manchester United host Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday in the fourth round of the FA Cup and this could prove decisive as to who will go on and lift the iconic trophy this year.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
It’s the first time the two teams have met in the competition since Dirk Kuyt scored a late winner as the Reds beat United 2-1 in January 2012.
United’s 20 league wins and Liverpool’s 19 are generally considered to set the clubs apart as the biggest in England, with United also 12-time winners in the FA Cup – having won more trophies in the competition than any team other than Arsenal (14). Liverpool, meanwhile, have seven FA Cups to their name.
The teams, who have lifted the trophy 19 times between them, face each other for the second time in seven days after a goalless draw at Anfield in the Premier League.
Whoever wins this tie will face either West Ham or Doncaster Rovers in the fifth round and will fancy their chances of making the last eight.
This preview was compiled before the midweek fixtures took place.
FA Cup | Sunday 24 January | Old Trafford | 19:00
To Win Match
Manchester United 31/20
Draw 5/2
Liverpool 15/10
Manchester United
Manchester United are priced up at 12/1 with Hollywoodbets to lift the FA Cup and give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the first trophy of his tenure at the club.
Although the Red Devils are the second most successful side in the history of the competition with 12 titles, only two of those have come since their famous treble in 1999.
United will be confident going into the match though as they boast a very strong home record against Liverpool, are in better form and sit atop the Premier League table.
While question marks over whether Jurgen Klopp views the FA Cup as a distraction remain, that certainly isn’t the case for Solskjaer, with the United boss saying earlier this month: “You play football to win trophies, to get your hands on a trophy — even though when you win that trophy you move on to the next one.”
The FA Cup tie could see some rotation, with the likes of Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek potentially getting starts. This would be a great chance for either of them to become heroes and fire United to a memorable win over Liverpool.
Liverpool
Liverpool can be backed at 8/1 to win the FA Cup for the first time in 15 years. Klopp has yet to win the competition, with the seven-time winners having only got past the fourth round once during his five-year reign.
The last time Liverpool won the FA Cup, in 2006, they beat United on the way to the final, winning 1-0 in the fifth round. Klopp will be hoping that will be the case this season as the German looks to taste domestic cup success for the first time as Reds boss.
The Premier League champions fancy their chances of winning every time they step onto the field, but they have a wretched record at Old Trafford across all competitions, having only won there twice since April 2004, in 2009 and 2014, despite 19 Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League meetings.
The Merseyside club have not beaten United away from Anfield in the FA Cup for an entire century (since 1921). However, they remain unbeaten against their bitter rivals since March 2018, with Solskjaer yet to taste victory against the Anfield side in five attempts as manager, once as Cardiff City boss.
Verdict: Man United (31/20)
Despite the astonishing success Liverpool have enjoyed in the past couple of years, the FA Cup remains a rare miss for Klopp’s team, which for me, shows they may hold little interest in winning this trophy. United are in high spirits after underlining their league title credentials with an impressive run of results and I’m backing them to come out on top at 31/20.
Written by Chad Nagel
