Manchester United vs Liverpool betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Football betting tips: Premier League
1pt Dominik Szoboszlai to score anytime at 11/2 (General)
0.5pt Dominik Szoboszlai to score 2+ goals at 66/1 (Sky Bet)
BuildABet @ 25/1
- Dominik Szoboszlai 2+ shots on target
- Manchester United 5+ corners
- Ryan Gravenberch 4+ tackles
Sam McGuire put it best in his article looking at this fixture - form really does go out of the window when Manchester United face Liverpool.
But what form can we seriously consider at this stage of a season anyway? We can factor in any continuity from the previous campaign but even that's irrelevant in the case of the visitors.
Arne Slot's Liverpool side have impressed in the early exchanges though. There's an element of control to their game - the foot slowly lifted off the accelerator compared with Jürgen Klopp's frantic football.
And even with a 7-0 thrashing at Anfield in March 2023, Erik ten Hag did learn how to face Klopp's Liverpool. The Reds haven't won any of the previous three meetings with their historical rivals.
This is a new challenge. Slot and Ten Hag's head-to-head is two wins each, although both of Slot's came over Ajax during his spell at Alkmaar in 19/20.
In the two meetings between Ajax and Feyenoord with these two at the helm, Ajax won both while dominating the possession - this may be an insight into Slot's approach in the visit to Old Trafford.
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Slot may prefer his Liverpool side to control the game though, taking out the chaotic element which allowed Ten Hag's United to exploit Liverpool's vulnerability under Klopp.
The attacking trio of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah have thrived in the new Liverpool system. They each posted at least three shots in the win over Brentford last time out with the two wingers finding the net.
But the set-up has also found the best home for DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI, with the midfielder allowed to feature in an advanced position.
It's a return to what we saw from him at Leipzig before the switch to Anfield. A clean striker of the ball, the Hungary international netted 20 goals in 91 appearances for the German club - a fine achievement given his young age.
I wouldn't be surprised to see him push double figures for goals this season, making the 11/2 on SZOBOSZLAI TO SCORE ANYTIME some good early campaign value which is worth involvement.
He's returned four shots across his two appearances so far, with three coming in the away contest at Ipswich. Perhaps crucially for player betting, he's played every minute.
Szoboszlai has been able to drift out to the right to support both Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold - a position in which we saw strong scoring returns at Leipzig.
He averaged a goal every 3.6 games when featuring as a right winger for his previous club. There was an element of being on the right to his game last season but a fixed role in this system means it will happen on a far more regular basis.
Again, as a value play, I'll also take SZOBOSZLAI TO SCORE 2+ GOALS at a big 66/1.
He did achieve this on a few occasions during his Leipzig career and an attacking role means there's every chance it happens at some stage soon.
Team news
Understandably so, a lot of the media attention in the week leading up to this game has been around the transfer activity of both clubs.
Manchester United continue to be without one of their new recruits in Leny Yoro, who is joined on the sideline by Rasmus Hojlund, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw.
Midfielder Mason Mount is also expected to miss the next few games with a hamstring problem - that could mean a first start for summer addition Joshua Zirkzee.
For Liverpool, Curtis Jones' availability is Slot's only real concern, while new addition Federico Chiesa is set for a spot on the bench with an unchanged XI expected.
Predicted line-ups
Manchester United XI: Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Dalot; Mainoo, Casemiro; Diallo, Fernandes, Garnacho, Zirkzee.
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Diaz.
Match facts
- Manchester United have won just one of their last 12 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D5 L6), beating them 2-1 at Old Trafford in their third game of the 2022-23 campaign.
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last six Premier League away games against Manchester United (W2 D3), while only Manchester City (9) have won away at Old Trafford more often than the Reds (7) in the competition’s history.
- Liverpool have won both of their Premier League games 2-0 this season. Twice before have they won each of their first three in a campaign without conceding, doing so in 2013-14 and 2018-19 – they beat Man Utd 1-0 on 1st September in the third game in the former.
- No team has had more shots than Liverpool in the Premier League this season (37), while the Reds also have the highest expected goals total (5.3) and the lowest expected goals against total (1) so far.
- Liverpool’s Arne Slot and Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag met four times during their time in the Dutch Eredivisie – Slot’s AZ beat Ten Hag’s Ajax twice in 2019-20, before ten Hag twice beat Slot’s Feyenoord side in 2021-22. This is the first Premier League game between two Dutch managers since February 2016, when Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea won 2-1 at Ronald Koeman’s Southampton.
- This will be Arne Slot’s first game in charge of Liverpool against Manchester United. None of the Reds’ last nine managers have won their first league meeting with the Red Devils, since Bob Paisley beat them 3-1 in November 1975. Meanwhile, George Kay is the only Liverpool manager to win his first away league game against Man Utd, winning 5-2 at Old Trafford in November 1936.
- Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is the highest scoring visiting player to Old Trafford in Premier League history (6 goals), while the Egyptian has netted in each of his last six away games against Man Utd in all competitions (9 goals in total).
- In his Manchester United career, Marcus Rashford has only scored more goals against Leicester City (8) in all competitions than he has against Liverpool (7). All seven of these strikes have come in his 10 appearances against them at Old Trafford.
- This will be Virgil van Dijk’s 200th Premier League game for Liverpool. He’s been on the winning side in 139 of his 199 so far, already the most wins any player has picked up in his first 200 for the club in the competition.
Odds correct at 1145 BST (30/08/24)
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