Liverpoolvs.Man Utd

The two rivals meet at Anfield on Sunday and their form could hardly be more contrasting given United are 14th with 22 points after 19 games while the Reds are in first place with 45 points after just 18 matches.

Arne Slot's Merseysiders beat West Ham United 5-0 last Sunday, with Mohamed Salah scoring once and assisting twice, taking his Premier League goal tally to 17 and assist tally to 13.

To say that Liverpool are favourites against the Red Devils is an understatement, and Lynch told Sports Mole that there is every reason to believe that Slot's side will dismantle United, saying: "Manchester United are really struggling this season, this is always a big game. The atmosphere is going to be big at Anfield.

"Liverpool should relish these opportunities to put the foot on Manchester United's throat and make a point, and the fact is, this is a side that's really struggling, low on confidence. Liverpool should be going into this thinking that it's not just a game that they can win, but a game that they can win handily.

"There'll be real excitement among the squad about the opportunity to do that, but also fans as well because they've suffered enough at the hands of Manchester United down the years. You don't want to set yourself up for a fall in saying that this is one that Liverpool should win comfortably, but the fact is they should."

Liverpool have lost just once in 27 games under Slot, while Amorim's team have been defeated in each of their last four by a cumulative score of 11-3.

Can Liverpool be stopped?

Not only do Liverpool boast a 23-point advantage over their rivals, but they have also scored 45 goals while conceding just 17 times in the top flight, whereas United have only scored 21 goals and conceded on 26 occasions.

The Red Devils boss also admitted that his side must prepare themselves for a relegation battle, highlighting that the gulf between the clubs has arguably never been bigger in the history of the Premier League.

United did avoid defeat against Liverpool three times last term, but they have lost their last three games in the league without scoring, and Lynch believes that there is little reason to fear Amorim's team, telling Sports Mole: "You can't forget the two results last season in the FA Cup, that defeat that Liverpool suffered and obviously the draw in the league - Liverpool just weren't good enough in those games.

"But, of course, those games came at Old Trafford and if you throw in the fact that this is at Anfield and Liverpool have got the Old Trafford game out of the way, I think [Liverpool] should be fully confident of taking Manchester United apart because, with the fans behind them, the gap between these two sides is too big for them to close it up. It would take a huge slice of luck for Manchester United to get anything.

"I don't feel that there's any threat of [United taking points] happening at Anfield at the weekend, but it's still one to look forward to on the basis that Liverpool should want to beat United as heavily as they possibly can in these moments and make the most of it."

Though Liverpool are undoubtedly favourites, it should be noted that United's record of 10 goals conceded away from home is only bettered by one team in the Premier League.

Can Arne Slot continue his remarkable start?

Slot's Liverpool are currently unbeaten in 23 games in all competitions, and have won their four most recent fixtures, scoring 16 times in that period.

The Dutchman has allayed fears that the Reds would experience a decline in performance after the departure of Jurgen Klopp last year, and it is arguable that the team have in fact been better than they were under the German.

Lynch told Sports Mole that the work Slot has done in his role as head coach so far has significantly exceeded expectations, and that there is no limit to how far he could take Liverpool, saying: "It was so much better than I expected. I didn't think Liverpool would be scrapping for top four, but I thought, [with how good] Manchester City have been, Arsenal have been building - I thought those two would be stronger, and Liverpool would be a comfortable third.

"[Liverpool] look comfortably the best team in England and arguably the best team in Europe. The Champions League table shows that as well. The fact that they changed manager, you expected some level of disruption there and they didn't do too much to the squad [in the summer] either.

"It's been a relentless list of positives and so much better than I could have expected. Really excited about what that means for the second half of the season, because they're still adapting to this new manager, and maybe this is a point where we really start to see them kick on and if there's an ability to kick on from one defeat so far, then that's quite a frightening thought for Liverpool's title rivals."

Victory against United would see Liverpool move eight points ahead of second-placed Arsenal while also having a game in hand after they dropped points against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, and it would be staggering if the Reds failed to win the Premier League title from that position.

Written by

Lewis Nolan