Tanvir Juneja
It is counted as one of those ties you just cannot afford to lose from the perspective of both the sides. Typically, a Manchester United vs Liverpool fixture entails every ounce of passion a football fanatic would wish to see. The kind of atmosphere one experiences watching this game passes off as more surreal than any other event could be. The meeting also marks two-star managers, Louis Van Gaal and Jurgen Klopp, facing each other off in a match that demands immense tactical shifts considering that it is a Europa League last-16 clash. Although United have eclipsed Liverpool domestically this season, Anfield can’t wait to steal the show on Thursday’s European tie which directly bargains for a superior status in Europe and more importantly, winning the never-ending debate of who really deserves the title of England’s greatest club.
Setting the background to the game, Liverpool have won the European Cup and Champions League five times to United’s three. They have also won the Europa League in its various guises — the competition in which they meet their rivals on Thursday night — three times while United’s have yet to win it. To add more drama to the setup, the only potential way of making the carrot in next year’s Champions League is by winning the Europa, a prospect both the managers seem to be driving their ambition towards with optimum desire and a bit of responsibility.
For the record, Jurgen Klopp knows that despite their recent league form Liverpool’s best chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League is through success in this competition, so expect him to play his strongest available side against United. Meanwhile, LVG is in desperate need of a positive result against Liverpool as a top-four finish in the Premier League looks highly unlikely and winning the Europa League looks to be United’s only hope of securing Champions League football next term.
Touted as one of both the clubs’ biggest game of the season, here’s how the Red Devils are squaring themselves up to travel to Anfield in the 1st leg of this Europa draw that overshadows even the best of Champions League draws at the moment. Manchester United’s predicted XI against Liverpool are:
Manchester United possible starting XI: De Gea, Varela, Smalling, Fosu-Mensah, Rojo, Schneiderlin, Herrera, Lingard, Mata, Memphis, Martial.
United have the advantage of the second leg on home soil but face a demanding fixture schedule compared to Liverpool. Van Gaal’s side host West Ham United in the FA Cup quarter-finals between the Europa League ties – when Liverpool will have a free weekend having been knocked out of the competition by Slaven Bilic’s team – and have the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium three days after the second leg.
As a build-up to the game, the war of the words has already begun with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher taunted United fans when he tweeted: “Great Europa League draw for LFC, if we win, happy days, if we lose, LVG probably stays!!” in a nod towards the unpopularity of the Old Trafford boss. A certain Mr. Klopp added on by saying “That’s great, really. We deserve these games. It is not easy but you can ask my staff. They asked me yesterday who do we want and I said Manchester United.”
To that banter, we’d like to say, “Carry on guys! The players will take it from here.”
Would it be an immediate backlash from Klopp’s Reds or an expanded eclipse by LVG’s Red Devils, Europe and the rest of the world will soon find out. Thursday night’s going to be HUGE!
