It might be the bleakest day in a recent history filled with matches that many Manchester United fans would prefer to forget. In March 2023, the Reds visited Anfield aiming to build on their Carabao Cup final victory over Newcastle United, which had sparked hopes for a promising new era. After seven days and seven goals, that idea was shattered. United remained competitive for a large part of the first half but fell apart in the second, delivering a dismal performance that then-manager Erik ten Hag called ‘unprofessional’. A new manager, Ruben Amorim, will be leading United to Anfield this time. However, the Reds are struggling, sitting in 14th place in the Premier League, 25 points behind the top team, Liverpool. United has suffered defeats in their last three league matches without finding the net and is heading to Merseyside as major underdogs, facing a bleak outlook. This situation has concerned former United captain and current Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville about what might happen on Sunday afternoon, although he doesn’t expect another 7-0 blowout. “Do I have any hopes for the New Year?” he expressed during Monday Night Football. “On Sunday, we need to go to Anfield, and do you recall the old Sunday League matches when teams would sometimes not show up?” To be truthful, I can’t stop thinking about Sunday. It’s just a few days until the big game, which is always significant each year. Manchester United surprising everyone by winning against Man City adds to the excitement. As we head into the Liverpool match, I’m not sure what the odds will be, but they’ll likely be heavy favorites. I believe he needs to field the players who have the most energy and stamina. If you observe that Liverpool squad, they all have good stamina, so he (Amorim) needs to field the most energetic team.
