One of English football’s biggest rivalries will resurface this weekend, as Manchester United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides will be looking to book their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Jurgen Klopp’s side lifted the trophy in 2021-22 before the Red Devils lost last year’s final.
We have collected all the important stats and trends, so keep reading this preview to discover what Forebet’s algorithm predicts for Sunday’s showdown.
Manchester United head into this clash on the back of a 2-0 victory over Everton, despite facing a barrage of 23 shots at Old Trafford last weekend.
As a result, Erik ten Hag’s men have won seven of their previous nine matches across all competitions, losing just two of their last 11 encounters.
In the FA Cup, the Red Devils defeated Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the first game before avoiding a scare against Newport County, eventually winning 4-2 in Wales.
Man Utd booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest last month, but they will need to up their game against Liverpool.
On Thursday, Klopp’s side crushed Sparta Prague 6-1 and 11-2 on aggregate to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, scoring four goals in the opening 14 minutes.
The Reds have now won eight of their last nine matches across all competitions, with a solitary defeat coming in their previous 21 outings.
After defeating Arsenal 2-0 in their first FA Cup clash, Liverpool thrashed Norwich City 5-2 before booking their place in the last eight with a 3-0 victory over Southampton.
Averaging 3.3 goals per game in the FA Cup this season, Klopp’s men will back themselves to outscore their bitter rivals on Sunday.
Head-to-head: Manchester United have only managed to win two of their last 12 meetings with Liverpool across all competitions.
That said, the Red Devils have won each of their previous two FA Cup home games against Liverpool, winning 1-0 in 2011 before winning 3-2 in 2021.
Team news: Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Anthony Martial and Rasmus Hojlund are all currently unavailable for the hosts.
As for the visitors, Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konate are sidelined through injury.
Despite the 17-point gulf between second-placed Liverpool and sixth-placed Man Utd in the Premier League table, the hosts’ FA Cup record against the Reds cannot be ignored.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Manchester United will punch their ticket to the semi-finals on Sunday, scoring over 1.5 goals en route to victory.