Liverpool vs Manchester United prediction 17.12.2023

• Competition: Premier League
• Date: Sunday, 17th December 2023
• Kickoff: 16:30 UK / 17:30 CET
• Venue: Anfield (Liverpool)

On Sunday afternoon, the league's leader, Liverpool, will welcome a struggling Manchester United at the Anfield Stadium in Liverpool. 

After a bad last season, when they finished 5th and missed the Champions League, Liverpool are looking like themselves this year. Right now, after 16 rounds, they are at the top of the Premier League, overtaking Arsenal, which lost the last match against in-form Aston Villa. Also, the Reds easily secured first place in the Europa League group E and secured the 1/8 Finals and are the favorite to win the title.

Manchester United fans hoped Erik ten Hag would solve all their problems, but that seems less likely as time passes, and the Dutch coach is very close to being sacked. In the Premier League, the Red Devils are 6th, already ten points away from the league's leader and their next opponent, Liverpool. Even though it is still early, chances for the title are very low, and their focus should be on finishing in the top four spots and securing the Champions League. But if we say their performance is poor in the Premier League, what to say about the UCL?! Ten Hag's squad finished as the last-placed team in group, with Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen, and Galatasaray. For now, there is very little to be optimistic about, and considering they will miss many important players due to injuries or suspensions, we have minimal expectations for them against in-form Liverpool.

Liverpool vs Manchester United pick: Liverpool to win and cover the -1.5 AH spread

Liverpool are on a good streak, winning four of the last five matches in all competitions. Yes, they lost the last game vs Royale Union SG, but that was a totally unimportant match where Klopp heavily rotated the squad. At Anfield, the Reds have been simply incredible, winning all 11 games, and more impressively, they won all games by at least two goals difference. 

Manchester United lost three of the last four matches and failed to score in all of those three losses. Their offense has underperformed heavily, and that is the key problem this season. Their offensive players, Rashford, Martial, Garnacho, Hojlund, and Antony, scored a total of four goals and are the worst offense in the league! A massive problem for the Red Devils throughout the season is the injuries as well, and it seems that situation is only getting worse, considering they might miss up to 13 very important players. 

In the previous h2h game, Liverpool absolutely embarrassed Manchester United by winning 7:0. Considering everything above, we expect a comfortable win for the Reds by at least a couple of goals difference.