FA Cup - Preview: Manchester United vs Liverpool
Liverpool will travel to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon to face arch-rivals Manchester United in the most highly anticipated of FA Cup 3rd round match ups. Manchester United versus Liverpool is historically one of the biggest rivalries and hotly
contested matches in English football.
The Reds and The Red Devils both currently possess 19 Barclays Premier League titles each, and the fact that United are en route to winning an unprecedented twenty, further aggravates this fixture. And both have been FA Cup heavyweights. United currently
hold the most FA Cups with 11, and Arsenal are second with 10.
Last season, both these teams were knocked out of the competition prematurely and in humiliating fashion. So, they will try and do everything to stay in this season’s competition. United fell 1-0 to League One side Leeds United who travel to London to face
Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium.
The last time these two sides met in the FA Cup, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Peter-Crouch-c29741 settled the affair and later on in the season, the Merseysiders progressed to lift the FA Cup by beating West Ham United on penalties in an enthralling final.
When the two teams met this season in the Premier League, Manchester United ran out 3-2 winners. That time, a http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steven-Gerrard-c34196 brace. Liverpool, this season, are a shadow of their former selves. They languish abysmally
in 12th place and it doesn’t look at all as if their fortunes are going to improve.
The last game United played was against Stoke City, where they beat the Potters 2-1 at Old Trafford to consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League. United go into this match in enviable form, having only lost one game this whole season in
all competitions while none in the Premier League. Liverpool are on the back of a 3-1 thrashing by Blackburn http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rovers-c40385.
Rooney is an injury concern for this fixture after he picked up an ankle injury in the 2-1 win over West Brom and subsequently missed the showdown against Stoke City. But, the English forward does face a late fitness test and will not want to miss this clash
keeping in mind his Everton past. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jamie-Carragher-c17728 will watch from the sidelines as he continues to recover.
Roy Hodgson has been under a lot of pressure this season, trying to undo the mess Rafa Benitez so effortlessly created, but it seems like Hodgson is losing the war. The results have been way below par, the performances dire. And now it seems the fans have
lost patience with the Englishman as many have called for him to be relieved of his duties. The mood might change if Hodgson can mastermind a win over Manchester United, and Hodgson knows it. He will want to knock out United and regain some pride in Liverpool,
but it will not be easy. Ferguson though will be sure if his team can perform at their current level, then they are sure to progress. Liverpool are ten times less as daunting a task as they used to be, but Ferguson will still expect nothing but a committed,
professional performances from his players. After all, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 beating Manchester United isn’t that much of a stretch.
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