Premier League Big Match Focus: How to back a 13/1 Bet Builder in Liverpool v Man Utd

• Salah on hot streak against United

• Ten Hag riding the wave

• Reds clinging onto top four hopes

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One week after beating Newcastle United to win the League Cup, Manchester United are faced with another big Sunday match-up.

This time, though, the Red Devils are not on neutral ground, instead facing Liverpool at Anfield. Manager Erik ten Hag picked up his first ever Premier League win against the Merseyside club back in August, and now has a chance for a double which would dent the Reds' Champions League hopes.

Ten Hag's men prepared for this clash with a midweek victory against West Ham in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Jürgen Klopp's team were already out of that competition, leaving them free to beat Wolves 2-0 in the league.

Looking to buck the trend

Liverpool are on their longest run without defeat in this fixture since way back in 1979. In the last six home league meetings with United, Klopp's team have won three and drawn three, with their last home league defeat in the fixture coming in the first such game under the current manager.

That defeat - a 1-0 loss brought by a Wayne Rooney goal for United - was more than seven years ago. United have won just three of 16 meetings in all competitions since then, including the aforementioned August victory.

Marcus Rashford scored in all three of those wins, and the England forward remains United's form player in 2023. The 25-year-old is looking to become just the fourth Man Utd player in Premier League history to score in six successive league games, and the first since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.

Sunday successes

Liverpool's defeat early in the season came in a Monday night meeting, but they have been more successful against their old rivals on Sundays. The last seven Sunday clashes have brought four draws and three Liverpool wins, including a 5-0 victory at Old Trafford in October 2021.

Mohamed Salah scored three of Liverpool's five that day, while the other scorers - Naby Keita and Diogo Jota - both recently returned from injury lay-offs. The Egypt forward has nine goals across his last five games against United and 10 in total against them, a record for a Liverpool player.

Salah's goal at Old Trafford in August wasn't enough to stave off defeat, though, and United's form since the World Cup hasn't always relied on defensive solidity. They have conceded in five of their 10 league games but still picked up a league high 23 points since players returned from Qatar, though it should also be noted that their five clean sheets have all produced victories.

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Double devastation

While defeat for United might end their slim hopes of lifting the title, a reverse for Liverpool could be even more of an issue. Failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a real blow - and a heavy home defeat to Real Madrid suggests they won't qualify by winning this year's edition - ahead of a summer in which they will want to invest in a lopsided squad.

United have done the double over Liverpool more frequently than any other side, but the last time that happened was 2015-16. Relatedly, this was also the last time Liverpool missed out on the top four, so they'll hope history does not repeat itself.

In order for United to get something from the game, though, they may need to avoid their recent struggles in front of goal at Anfield. They haven't found the net in any of their last three trips, including a 4-0 defeat last season, last scoring through Jesse Lingard in a 3-1 defeat back in December 2018.

Liverpool v Man Utd prediction

Despite those struggles at Anfield before Ten Hag's appointment, Man Utd's current boss has made them a far more dangerous proposition going forward.

Their current run of 15 straight games with one goal or more is the longest in the entire Premier League, with Newcastle and Brentford the only sides to shut them out in the competition since the Dutch manager's appointment.

While Liverpool drew a blank at Crystal Palace on Saturday, they have scored in all but one of their home league games this season, while Salah's record against United can't be ignored. We are looking at a draw, with Salah and Rashford to each score or assist, at 13.70.