It’s one of the standout fixtures in the English football calendar this weekend as Manchester United take on Liverpool at Old Trafford.
It’s a game that feels as though it’ll carry less importance in comparison to when the two sides faced off at Anfield in January, as at the time both sat inside the top two of the Premier League and the fixture was being billed as a potentially crucial one in the title race.
Manchester City have since gone on to take control of that race and they’re now all but certain to win the league, yet United do still remain inside the top two, which is a testament to the solid campaign the team have had under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
It’s a different story for visitors Liverpool though, who start the gameweek sixth and four points off Chelsea in fourth place.
With just six games to go, Jurgen Klopp’s men face a tall order to try and close the gap on the sides above and are at real risk of failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League - a disastrous scenario for last year’s league champions.
United will know this and therefore hampering their rivals' top-four chances further will act as an added motivation for Solskjaer's team this weekend.
Despite the indifferent form of the visitors, history does suggest that it won’t be an easy game for either side. Three of the last four meetings in the Premier League have finished level, and United only just managed to edge past Klopp's side 3-2 in the FA Cup clash between both earlier in the year.
In that game, it was a late Bruno Fernandes strike that proved decisive, and a late goal could quite easily be the deciding factor again this weekend.
This is because, as highlighted above, United have been one of the most dangerous teams in the division this season when it comes to scoring goals inside the final 15 minutes of a match.
Their total of 18 scored during this period can be bettered only by Leicester City, and the Foxes are also the only side who have a better goal difference than United’s +12 in this segment of their matches too.
United’s proficiency in these periods of matches becomes more prevalent when noting that Liverpool have conceded 13 league goals in this segment across the season so far, this includes conceding late strikes after the 75th minute in each of their previous two matches against both Newcastle and Leeds.
That total of 13 actually accounts for nearly a third of all their league goals conceded this season.
Several theories as to why they’ve been so vulnerable in this period have been formulated, however, the most logical is that they lack the defensive dominance of players such as Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez to soak up late pressure from opponents and see a game out.
The likes of Fabinho and Ozan Kabak in their place aren’t as robust, making them more susceptible to giving up goals in this crucial period of a match.
Solskjaer and his staff will no doubt be aware of their vulnerability in this regard ahead of Sunday and as a result, will look to expose it. Especially if the game remains tight heading into the closing stages.
If this is the case, then don’t be surprised to see the Reds up the ante late on, knowing they might be striking against Klopp’s side at just the right moment to seal an all-important victory.
