“They’ll chase, bite and probably score” - Berbatov predicts winner of Liverpool vs Manchester United
Dimitar Berbatov has backed Liverpool to beat his former side Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday (December 17). He reckons Jurgen Klopp's side will beat the Red Devils 2-0 at Anfield.
In his weekly prediction column on Metro, Berbatov said that Salah and Co should prevail with ease. He added that Jurgen Klopp will exploit the weakness of Manchester United in defence and press them high. He wrote:
"When we talk about Liverpool, we talk about Mohamed Salah, and we talk about consistency. Salah is a Liverpool legend in his own right. The way he plays football and what it brings to the team while having a coach that understands you like Jurgen Klopp, then you will get results.
"Salah is the main threat for Liverpool, but they have many great players. Klopp is smart enough to explore the weaknesses of Man United in their form, and we know Liverpool will start the game like mad dogs, they’ll chase, bite and probably score."
He added:
"Man United used to score goals when the opposing team needed to score to get a result. In the last two games, Man United have not scored. Now they play Liverpool, who have Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson in a world-class defence.
"I want to see Man United get into more goalscoring opportunities. I want to say Man United will score, but I think it may be too much for them this time."
Jurgen Klopp's side are atop the Premier League with 37 points from 16 games while Erik ten Hag's side are sixth and 10 points behind the leaders.
Liverpool have the upper hand over Manchester United at Anfield
Manchester United have not won at Liverpool since 2016 when Wayne Rooney scored the lone goal of the game. The Red Devils were managed by Louis van Gaal that time, while Jurgen Klopp was in charge of the hosts.
Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag have since managed the Red Devils but have not won at Anfield. United were humiliated 7-0 in their last meeting at Liverpool, so they will be keen to do better this week.
However, they will be without their suspended captain Bruno Fernandes for yellow card accumulation. The Portuguese picked up his fifth yellow last week in the 3-0 Bournemouth defeat at Old Trafford.