Preview of the double club between Liverpool and Manchester United: a grudge that spans a century

After the international match day, the Premier League war resumed. This Sunday, Manchester United will visit Anfield Stadium to start the 207th double-red match with their arch-rival Liverpool.

A Tale of Two Cities: Similar Genes

Manchester and Liverpool are only 35 miles apart. The two cities also have deep working-class roots. They experienced the baptism of the Industrial Revolution in the Victorian period and even shared the world's first intercity railway. After experiencing the pain of industrial decline, they have now been reborn as economic powerhouses in northern England.

Musical bloodlines blend here: Liverpool gave birth to legendary bands such as The Beatles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood; Manchester contributed British rock icons such as Happy Split and Oasis. Their unique cultures, accents and dialects collide here, creating an iconic city card.

The two cities are also highly consistent in terms of political stance. The mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool often join forces to speak out for common interests. They are both left-leaning cities governed by the Labor Party. In the chaos of the Brexit referendum, they jointly voted to "remain" in the midst of a crowd of "leavers".

It is these striking similarities that have given rise to a competitive relationship. What takes this confrontation to the extreme is the century-old feud between the two most successful clubs in the history of English football - Liverpool and Manchester United.

A battle in the book of honors

The two teams have won 40 top league championships, 21 FA Cups, 16 League Cups, 37 Community Shields, 18 European trophies and 3 continental championships. As Liverpool aspired to win the Premier League last season, Manchester United failed in the Europa League final. Liverpool currently leads Manchester United by one with a total of 69 trophies.

The Origin of Grudges

These old enemies always seem to be at their peak. From 1964 to 1967, Busby's Manchester United and Shankly's Liverpool briefly staged a tug-of-war for the championship, and then parted ways. Fans from both sides can only watch their opponents celebrating the championship from a distance. This unwillingness continues to nourish the flames of the old enemy.

When Liverpool dominated England in the 1970s and 1980s and won 11 league trophies, Manchester United was experiencing a 26-year league championship drought. In the 1990s, Ferguson started the red dynasty and won 13 Premier League titles. This was the darkest moment of Liverpool's 30 years without a championship (1990-2020). Until Klopp led the team to end the curse in the 2019-20 season, Slott continued his glory last year. In contrast, Manchester United in the post-Ferguson era has continued to slump, falling to a historical low of 15th in the league last season.

The confrontation record hides mysteries

Although the overall historical record is superior (Manchester United has 80 wins and Liverpool has 59 wins in 206 games), Manchester United fans are still haunted by the disastrous defeats in recent years-the 0-7 defeat at Anfield in 2023 was particularly bitter. This time as a guest, Amorim's team is generally undervalued: it has not won an away game since March, and the Portuguese coach has not yet led the team to achieve consecutive league wins.

However, the Red Army's recent three-game losing streak (1-2 loss to Crystal Palace, 0-1 loss to Galatasaray, and 1-2 loss to Chelsea) may give the Red Devils a glimmer of hope.

Manchester United's key to victory

In the 2-0 victory over Sunderland before the international break, Manchester United's direct pass tactic may be a weapon to break the game. According to Opta data, 86.4% of the 44 passes made by goalkeeper Ramens in his debut were long passes, far exceeding the 56.5% average of predecessor Baindil this season.

Facing the new center Sheshko, who is 194cm tall, and Konate, whose status has fluctuated this season and still needs to undergo physical testing, the visiting team's aerial confrontation may have miraculous results. The hidden dangers of the Red Army's full-backs are also prominent: Frimpong, Bradley and even Szoboszlai have been tried on the right, and new aid Kyle Ketz on the left has yet to prove that he can surpass Robertson. He will face the Premier League's right winger Mbemo, who ranks first in "running without the ball".

Running without the ball is also the lifeline of Manchester United's defense. Although captain Bruno Fernandez is world-class offensively, Amorim's lack of defensive tracking has been exposed when he placed him deeper in midfield. On the night of Anfield, he may face Leverkusen's old player Wirtz - although this 145 million euro new signing has not reproduced the efficiency of the pharmaceutical company (57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games), his off-the-ball running data this season ranks second in the Premier League.

Deadly sharp knife

Salah will always be a nightmare for Manchester United. The Egyptian Pharaoh scored 16 goals in 17 games against the Red Devils, making him the number one nemesis in history. Although his state has been slightly up and down this season, he can always awaken his bloodthirsty instinct when facing his old enemy. The current situation that Manchester United's current top scorer against Liverpool, Rashford (7 goals in 19 games), has been loaned to Barcelona is a microcosm of the current fate of the two clubs.

Although the old rivals are sailing in different directions, Amorim led his team to a 2-2 draw with Slott's Red Army at Anfield last season. If a draw can be repeated this time, it would be a feat for Manchester United at the moment.