The biggest fixture in the English calendar will take on even more significance this weekend when champions Liverpool host new Premier League leaders Manchester United at Anfield.

The two most successful clubs in the history of English football currently occupy the top two positions in the table, separated by only three points heading into this mouth-watering Merseyside meeting.

Match preview

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It is almost exactly a year ago to the day since these two sides last met, when Mohamed Salah raced clear at the Kop end to score Liverpool's second goal in a 2-0 victory - a goal and result which was widely regarded as the moment Liverpool fans felt confident enough to unleash their first real roar of surety regarding their title drought coming to an end.

Twelve months later, the scene on Sunday will be very different; there will be no fans to witness this firecracker of a contest between these two great rivals and, even if there were, they certainly would not be making any claims that the title is already theirs.

That victory at Anfield sent Liverpool 16 points clear of second-placed Manchester City and a whopping 30 above Man United, yet this time around it is the Red Devils who go into the game as the pace-setters.

A run of 29 points from the last 33 on offer has seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side brush off a slow start to the campaign and soar to the top of the Premier League table, with Tuesday's 1-0 triumph over Burnley lifting them three points above the champions and Sunday's hosts.

It is the first time Man United have been top after as many as 17 games of a season since Sir Alex Ferguson led them to their 20th title in 2012-13, a tally Liverpool moved back to within one of with their triumph last season.

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For all of the dominant periods these two clubs have enjoyed throughout the years, they have only finished as the top two on five previous occasions, and just once in the Premier League era, 12 years ago.

With only four points separating first from fifth it is too early to suggest that that could be the case again this season, but if both sides are able to maintain their title charges then the reverse of this fixture at the start of May is likely to be one of the biggest Liverpool vs. Manchester United showdowns yet.

For Man United to even be in that conversation this season is something of a surprise, and Solskjaer has insisted that victory for his side at Anfield would still constitute an "upset" and a "shock", regardless of what the league table says.

The visitors will undoubtedly travel to Merseyside full of belief that they can come away with a statement-making win, though, having won nine and lost none of their last 11 top-flight outings stretching back to November 1.

Away from home Man United have not lost in the league since that last trip to Anfield almost exactly a year ago - a run of 15 games which includes 12 victories, 11 of which have come in their last 12 such matches.

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Another win at Anfield would already equal last season's tally of eight away league triumphs and would also be just the second time in United's illustrious history that they have managed to win eight or more of their opening nine away league games of a campaign.

More optimism will be gained by the fact that, just as Man United have hit top form, Liverpool have suffered one of their worst blips in recent years.

Jurgen Klopp's side have picked up two points from their last three games and could go four without a victory for the first time since February 2017, having been held by West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United before losing at Southampton last time out.

Remarkably, Liverpool have never lost back-to-back league games under Klopp, last doing so in September 2015 under Brendan Rodgers when the second match in that run was a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Man United. Klopp himself has not overseen successive league defeats since April 2015, during his time in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

The champions have since bounced back with a 4-1 FA Cup triumph against Aston Villa's youngsters to return to winning ways, but worryingly in the Premier League even their goals have seemingly dried up lately.

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Since scoring seven goals from eight shots on target in their obliteration of Crystal Palace on December 19, Liverpool have since only managed seven shots on target combined from their next three games, scoring just once in the process.

The Reds had scored in every league game this season prior to their back-to-back blanks against Newcastle and Southampton respectively, and they could now go three top-flight games without a goal for the first time since March 2005.

The defeat to Southampton in their last league outing also means that they have now dropped 18 points this season, which is more than across the whole of each of their previous two campaigns, and another loss on Sunday would see them begin a calendar year with consecutive league defeats for the first time since 1993.

However, it is far from all doom and gloom for the champions; their recent attacking bluntless must be balanced with the fact that they are still the leading scorers in the league, while at the other end they boast the second-best defence in the top five despite playing most of the season without their two main centre-backs.

There is also the Anfield factor to take into account for this game, with Liverpool now 67 home games unbeaten in the Premier League, winning 55 of those - and 32 of their last 34 - in a run which stretches back to April 2017.

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West Bromwich Albion's smash-and-grab draw in Liverpool's final home game of 2020 was only the second time they have dropped league points at Anfield in almost two years, and they have scored in each of their last 42 top-flight outings on home turf, stretching back to a goalless draw with Manchester City in October 2018.

That Man City stalemate was incidentally the last time they failed to win a home game against another of the traditional 'big six' too, taking maximum points from their 11 such matches since.

Man United, by contrast, have not won any of their four meetings with the 'big six' this season and have failed to even score from open play in those games, their only goal coming from a Bruno Fernandes penalty.

In addition to being a significant day in the title race and for fans of both clubs, it could also prove to be a landmark occasion for both managers, with Solskjaer looking to avoid becoming only the third Manchester United manager in history to fail to win any of their first four league meetings with Liverpool.

Klopp, meanwhile, will hope to celebrate his 200th Premier League game as Liverpool boss in style; his tally of 127 wins in his first 199 games is bettered only by Jose Mourinho in Premier League history, while he already has a better win ratio than any other Liverpool boss to have reached the double-century in the top flight.

Liverpool Premier League form: DWWDDL
Liverpool form (all competitions): WWDDLW

Manchester United Premier League form: WWDWWW
Manchester United form (all competitions): DWWLWW

Team News

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Klopp has refused to rule out the prospect of Joel Matip returning in time for this match, with the centre-back set to return to training ahead of the contest.

The German's pre-match press conference appeared to suggest a reluctance to throw Matip straight back into the fold so, despite Liverpool's shortage at centre-back, he may only be fit enough for a place on the bench from the start.

Klopp also talked up the importance of having Jordan Henderson in midfield and so it is likely that either Nat Phillips or Rhys Williams will fill in alongside Fabinho at centre-back rather than the skipper being called upon as an emergency option again.

The pace in Manchester United's attack means that either option could be exploited, but Phillips appears to be just ahead of Williams in the running should one of them be needed.

Naby Keita has been ruled out as Klopp exercises caution over the midfielder's return, while Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas also remain sidelined.

Four months after joining, Thiago Alcantara is in line to finally make his Anfield debut for Liverpool.

Manchester United also have defensive injury concerns, with Brandon Williams and Phil Jones having been ruled out and Victor Lindelof still doubtful with a back problem which has seen him miss the last three matches.

The Swede could be back in contention for this one, but even so Solskjaer could choose to stick with the Harry Maguire-Eric Bailly partnership which has grown in recent outings.

Anthony Martial will undergo a late fitness test after limping off against Burnley with a hamstring injury, while Nemanja Matic must also prove his fitness due to a slight groin problem.

If fit, Martial could replace Edinson Cavani through the middle, which could in turn open the door for a rejuvenated Paul Pogba to move further upfield or Mason Greenwood to come into the starting XI.

Fernandes is a guaranteed starter, fresh off becoming the first player in the English top flight to be named Player of the Month four times in a single calendar year.

Marcus Rashford will also be hoping to extend a good recent record against Liverpool, having scored three goals in his last four league games against the Reds and earning his side four points in the process.

Amad Diallo provides a new option for the visitors too, with Solskjaer refusing to rule out the prospect of the January arrival being involved on Sunday.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Fabinho, Robertson; Henderson, Thiago, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Rashford, Fernandes, Pogba; Martial

Head To Head

Liverpool have had much the better of this fixture in recent times, losing just one of the last 10 meetings across all competitions and winning the last two in the Premier League.

Another victory on Sunday would see them make it three on the bounce for the first time in almost a decade, while also making it five league games unbeaten for the first time since January 2002.

Sunday will mark five years to the day since Man United last won at Anfield, with the Merseysiders unbeaten in five such meetings since.

We say: Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United

This is one of the most finely-poised meetings between these two great rivals in recent memory.

Liverpool, the dominant force in English football over the last year or so but suffering a slight blip now, take on a league-leading Manchester United side showing the first signs of restoring their former glories - it could hardly be set up better.

It is a match which could realistically go either way, but Liverpool's remarkable home record gives them the slight edge as far as we are concerned. Indeed, a showdown with their fiercest enemies, who have just knocked them off the top of the table, could be the perfect fixture to snap Klopp's side out of their recent malaise.

Either way, it promises to be an unmissable contest. These big games can often flatter to deceive, but Sunday's showdown looks unlikely to be one of those occasions.

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