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This Sunday football enthusiasts will be drawn to the screen not only by the famous "El Clasico" between "Barcelona" and "Real," but also by the eternal clash of titans in the English Premier League - where two of the world's most renowned clubs, "Man Utd" and "Liverpool," will face off. Let's take a closer look at the upcoming match from a statistical perspective.
Time: Sunday, January 22, 15:00 (Lithuanian time) Location: Manchester, "Old Trafford" stadium (76962 seats) Referee: Graham Poll
Encounters:
Away and Home:
In the league: "Man Utd" - 54 victories, "Liverpool" - 49 victories, 43 matches ended in a draw. In the Premier League: "Man Utd" - 14 victories, "Liverpool" - 7 victories, 7 draws.
Only at "Old Trafford":
In the league: "Man Utd" - 34 victories, "Liverpool" - 14 victories, 25 matches ended without a clear winner. In the Premier League: "Man Utd" - 7 victories, "Liverpool" - 3 victories, 4 matches ended in a tie.
Last season's club clash:
On January 22, 2006, these clubs played their last match at "Old Trafford." The match was refereed by one of England's most famous referees, Mike Riley. The match was intense, with both teams having opportunities to score. However, the decisive moment came at the end of the match, when in the 90th minute, after a penalty kick taken by Ryan Giggs, defender Rio Ferdinand jumped the highest and sent the ball into the top corner of the goal, leaving "Liverpool" goalkeeper Pepe Reina with no chance.
Coaches' comments:
"Man Utd":
Sir Alex Ferguson on Paul Scholes' 500th match for the "Red Devils."
"He has been very dedicated to us and playing for so long in the first team just shows how resilient he is. His lifestyle allows us to think that he will still be a great player for at least a few more years. To avoid injuries, he will need a little luck, but he has something he can't teach - that is a charming football brain."
"Liverpool":
Rafael Benitez:
"I don't like to think that if we lose, we won't fight for the title. This championship will be a long race, and the most important thing for me is to see players performing well throughout the season. Speaking of the title race, I think we will see three or four teams competing. I don't really think there will be a clear favorite for the championship."
Club facts:
"Man Utd":
The matches between "Man Utd" and "Liverpool" are considered a clash of titans and one of the most beautiful spectacles in football worldwide. However, these teams always demonstrate their superiority when playing at their home ground. Currently, Sir Alex Ferguson's mentees in the Premier League could lose their first-place position to "Chelsea" after the upcoming Sunday's match, but contenders to win the prestigious English cup, "Liverpool," outshine the club with twice as many victories (6 wins to 3) and lead their eternal rival by an 8-point margin. Both teams have played eight matches. If the visitors from Liverpool lose, they will be 11 points behind the already distant leaders of the championship.
This summer, the team underwent many changes: the club sold one of the world's best forwards, Ruud van Nistelrooy, to Real Madrid for almost 10 million pounds, loaned out several players, and acquired the second goalkeeper, Tomasz Kuszczak, and long-time target midfielder, Michael Carrick.
These matches will be memorable for two "Man Utd" club stars: veteran defender Paul Scholes, who will wear the team's jersey for the 500th time, and England's wonderkid forward Wayne Rooney, who is gradually regaining his usual sporting form and will play his 100th match.
The "Red Devils" look better in the Premier League compared to their rivals "Liverpool," having won 14 matches and left the field with heads held high only 7 times. In the last two matches between these teams, only one goal was scored, which was scored in the last minute by "Man Utd" defender Rio Ferdinand.
"Liverpool":
This season, the "Liverpool" club started off quite inconsistently. Although they won the "Community Shield" trophy, the club often stumbles in the English Premier League. However, they are almost unbeatable at home: in the opening match of the championship against the newcomer "Sheffield Utd," they played to a 1-1 draw, and in the last match against "Blackburn," the "Reds" dropped two more points. In that match, "Liverpool" scored with Robbie Fowler converting a penalty kick and Craig Bellamy heading the ball into the "Blackburn" goal.
"Liverpool" and "Man Utd" have each won the League title 33 times. However, the record belongs to "Liverpool," who won their 18th trophy in the 1989/1990 season, ending the 8 consecutive titles streak of the "Red Devils." Both teams looked excellent in the middle of this week's UEFA Champions League matches: "Liverpool" defeated French club "Bordeaux" 1-0 away, while "Man Utd" achieved a stunning victory against Danish club "Copenhagen" with a score of 3-0.
Compared to "Man Utd," "Liverpool" has undergone more changes. The team acquired 5 new players this summer: defenders Fabio Aurelio and Gabriel Paletta, midfielder Jermaine Pennant, and two forwards: Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt. The club had to sell some of their players: Djibril Cisse was transferred to "Marseille," Fernando Morientes returned to Spain, midfielder Dietmar Hamann moved to "Man City," and Djimi Traore joined "Charlton."
The port city footballers are eager to secure their 50th victory in the League against "Man Utd" and hope to finally return to the path of victory. Last year, "Liverpool" had already defeated the "Man Utd" eleven in the FA Cup fifth round, with the winning goal scored by forward Peter Crouch.
Series and form:
"Man Utd":
Currently, "Man Utd" is in second place in the English Premier League with 19 points.
1. In the last four matches in all tournaments, the club celebrated victories.
2. Out of 22 Premier League matches, they won 17, including the 6 victories this season in eight matches.
3. They failed to score in only one league match (a 1-0 defeat against "Arsenal" on September 19).
4. They have the best goal difference in the Premier League: +12.
5. They are the best attacking team in the English top-flight, having scored 17 goals, averaging one goal every 42 minutes.
6. They won all five matches in which they scored first.
7. They won all three matches in which they kept a clean sheet.
8. Their next three matches are away: in the Carling Cup against "Crewe," in the Premier League against "Bolton," and in the Champions League against "Copenhagen," then they will return to "Old Trafford" for a match against "Portsmouth."
9. They are one match away from their 1000th draw in league matches in the club's history.
"Liverpool":
Currently, "Liverpool" is in 11th place in the English Premier League with 11 points.
1. In the last three Premier League matches, the club secured one victory, suffered one defeat, and played one draw.
2. They have not won an away match in nearly five months, with the last victory taking place last season on May 7 in a 3-1 match against "Portsmouth."
3. In the last three away matches, they have only scored one goal and lost to "Everton," as well as conceding defeat to champions "Chelsea" and surprisingly acknowledging "Bolton's" superiority.
4. In the last six Premier League matches, they have failed to defeat opponent goalkeepers three times.
5. They have not scored a goal in 290 minutes (or 4 hours 50 minutes) in the league away matches.
6. In six out of the last eight Premier League matches, they have conceded the first goal.
7. They won both matches in which they scored first (2-0 against "Newcastle" and 3-0 against "Tottenham").
8. They won both matches in which they did not concede a goal.
Team players:
"Man Utd":
If veteran defender Paul Scholes appears in the match against "Liverpool," he could become the ninth player to represent the club 500 times throughout his career. He could also become the third player in the current "Man Utd" squad to reach the 500-match milestone, following Ryan Giggs and captain Gary Neville.
If Kieran Richardson and Nemanja Vidic play while celebrating their 22nd and 25th birthdays, respectively.
If defender Wes Brown appears on the field, he will be wearing the "United" jersey for the 200th time.
With six goals to his name, Louis Saha is the top scorer of the "Man Utd" team.
Rio Ferdinand is the only player who has not missed a minute this season playing for "Man Utd" in the league.
It appears that Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand are ready to return to the "Man Utd" club's defense after missing the Champions League match against "Copenhagen."
Gabriel Heinze and Ryan Giggs may get a chance to shine in this match, while Mikael Silvestre and Park Ji-Sung are recovering from injuries and will not be registered for the match.
"Liverpool":
If "Reds" captain Steven Gerrard is fit for the titanic match, he will represent "Liverpool" for the 350th time.
If defender John Arne Riise starts in the line-up, he will make his 150th appearance wearing the Liverpool club jersey from the beginning of the match.
Craig Bellamy is three goals away from scoring 50 in the Premier League (representing "Coventry," "Newcastle," "Blackburn," and "Liverpool").
Goalkeeper Pepe Reina is the only one who has played every minute for "Liverpool" in the league this season.
It is believed that returning from easy injuries, Dirk Kuyt, Momo Sissoko, Robbie Fowler, and Daniel Agger will not be available.
Predicted starting lineups:
"Man Utd": Van der Sar; Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs; Rooney, Saha.
"Liverpool": Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise; Gonzalez, Gerrard, Alonso, Garcia; Crouch, Bellamy.
