Liverpool v Man Utd

My initial hunch here was that Alex Ferguson would inspire his team to a memorable victory to get Man United’s title bid right back on track, and make the defeat to Chelsea a distant memory. This could still happen, but having now seen the latest team news, I’m not so sure at all.

Liverpool will have been lifted by the dismissal of key United defender Nemanja Vidic against Chelsea, that sees him banned for the trip to Anfield. Uncertainty remains over whether Rio Ferdinand will be fit enough to return from injury at this opportune moment but if he doesn’t, or plays when below par, then United’s defence will be significantly understrength. To make matters even more intriguing, rumours are rife that this could now be the game in which £35m record Reds signing Andy Carroll makes his debut. The former Newcastle striker has reportedly trained since Wednesday.

All this will be enough to get Liverpool fans purring with excitement and many will back Dalglish to deliver a win at 15/8 with Boylesports. Equally, Red Devils’ fans have grown well-accustomed to their side bouncing back from setbacks better than anybody else in the last two decades, and they will be tempted by a United win at 13/8 with Betfred.

It would be remiss not to mention how poor Liverpool were in their last outing at lowly West Ham that ended in 3-1 defeat. This provided a stark reminder that the general improvement under Dalglish is still very much a work-in-progress. United are still the better team when at full strength, but they won’t be, so a draw looks most likely at a best price of 23/10 with VictorChandler.