Premier League Big Match Focus: How to back a 10/1 Liverpool win at Man Utd

Before the start of the new season, few would have expected neither Manchester United nor Liverpool to have no wins from the first two games.

However, as the two teams prepare to face off at Old Trafford on Monday, that's exactly what we're dealing with.

Liverpool have picked up two frustrating draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace, losing early ground in the title race, while United are still chasing their first point under Erik ten Hag after suffering defeats against Brighton and Brentford.

Monday night's game is already looking huge for both teams. Liverpool have already seen their title odds drift to 7.613/2 ahead of this weekend's games, while relegation for United - considered all but an impossibility at the start of the season - is already considered more likely than a top-two finish for a team which finished runners-up just two seasons ago.

The stats

Last season's matches will still be fresh in the memory for more pessimistic Manchester United fans, and why wouldn't they be? Two defeats, nine goals conceded and no goals scored makes for painful reading, but it can still get worse.

Victory for Liverpool on Monday would make it four straight league wins for the Reds against their rivals for the first time since 2002. If you thought that might signify an impressive recent run for the Manchester club, though, you would be wrong.

In the last 12 league meetings between the two sides, United have won just once, with Liverpool claiming five victories and six games ending all square. United's win came in March 2018, and only four of the 14 players used in that game - David de Gea, Eric Bailly, Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford - are still at the club.

History in the making

There are plenty of records on the horizon - both wanted and unwanted, depending on your allegiances.

Of course, one has already been set, with the two teams meeting while both winless for the first time in top-flight history (excluding opening-day fixtures).

Mohamed Salah needs one goal to become the first player to score double figures against Man Utd - good news for the Egyptian, but not the best sign for those who are hoping he slips up.

His nine goals so far against this opposition include five across two league games last term, including a hat-trick inside the first 50 minutes at Old Trafford.

The game could also see United lose five league games in a row for the first time in 50 years, with the current run stretching back to last season.

Again, if you're a United fan then this won't sound great, but Liverpool supporters would surely love their team to become history-makers in this way.

Half a century of history not doing it for you? Don't worry. If Erik ten Hag suffers a third straight defeat, he will become the first Man Utd manager to begin with a record of LLL since 1921.

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Man Utd v Liverpool prediction

Both teams have been relatively quiet in the transfer market, at least compared to their rivals, and those they've signed haven't caught fire just yet.

Liverpool will be without Darwin Núñez after his red card last time out, while United's big-money signing Lisandro Martínez could see his place under threat after a miserable performance in United's 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

The last time the two sides met on matchday three was all the way back in 2013, when Liverpool won 1-0 against David Moyes' United.

Since then, the Red Devils have had four more permanent managers, and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp will have faced all four (plus interim boss Ralf Rangnick) after Monday's meeting.

Liverpool have gone behind in each of their last six Premier League games, and most teams might expect at least one defeat from such a run.

However, not only are the Merseyside club unbeaten across those six games, but they haven't lost any of their last 21 in the league and remain unbeaten domestically throughout the calendar year.

Given that record, and given United's struggles, it is hard to see anything other than an away win on Monday - even with the visitors depleted by injury and suspension.

United fans still wouldn't accept a defeat against their rivals, especially one which would keep them rooted to the foot of the table, but there's a long way to come back based on the obvious distance between the two teams in both meetings last term.

Could Monday's match be the final nail in a very early coffin for Ten Hag 10.09/1? Will Liverpool repeat what they did last season at Old Trafford in the opening 45 minutes and score 4 goals, just as Brentford also did last week 34.033/1? Read through Max's Man Utd crisis betting markets here to decide for yourself.