Act Two

 Manchester United and Liverpool face each other again on a stage these teams know all too well.

Sunday will be the 18^th FA Cup meeting between these sides in the world’s oldest club tournament.

With a spot in the fifth round on the line, you can expect to see a lot more urgency than we saw in the 0-0 draw at Anfield less than a week ago.

Lineup News

For United it’s the same injury news as per usual.

Victor Lindelof missed the mid-week game against Fulham and it’s uncertain if he’ll be ready for Sunday.

Phil Jones and Brandon Williams remain out with long-term injuries.

For Jurgen Klopp’s side defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez remain on the long-term injured list but Joel Matip could be ready to return.

Their summer signing Diego Jota is likely a few weeks away from returning.

Naby Keita and Kostas Tsimikas are both doubtful.

Dry Spell

 After being virtually unbeatable a season ago Liverpool has shown lately they are mere mortals in the Premier League.

In their three league games this year they’ve been kept off the scoresheet and have only collected one point.

It’s not from lack of trying as they’ve fired 87 shots in their last four Premier League matches but haven’t once found the back of the net.

Their last slip-up came on Thursday when they took 27 shots against Burnley but still lost 1-0.

That loss ended a 68-match unbeaten run for Liverpool at Anfield.

FA Woes

 As good as Liverpool has been in the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp the Merceysiders have had their struggles in the FA Cup.

In his sixth season now in charge Klopp’s team has only made it past the fourth round of an FA Cup tie once (last season).

It’s a complete role reversal when you look at United who’ve made it to at least the quarterfinals of this competition in the past six seasons.

Head to Head

 The Red Devils may have the upper hand in the Premier League at the moment but they’ve not fared well against Liverpool in recent memory.

The Reds are unbeaten in their five matches against the Red Devils conceding only twice.

The last time United won over Liverpool was on March 10, 2018.

United though is unbeaten in their last seven home fixtures against Liverpool.

In their FA Cup ties, United has a slight edge winning nine times and losing four.

Players to Watch

 A big reason why Liverpool earned a point in these teams’ last match is the play of goalkeeper Alisson.

The Brazilian pulled off several quality saves in the 0-0 draw with his side missing several key players at the back.

Thiago Alcantara showed a lot of flash and creativity in the last match as he was probably the team’s best on-field player.

Let’s not forget Mohamed Salah still has 17 goals in the Premier League this season and is probably the most consistent goal scorer of the past four domestic campaigns.

For United Paul Pogba is riding high with two game-winning goals in his last three EPL matches.

Edinson Cavani continues to be effective scoring the equaliser against Fulham earlier this week.

Bruno Fernandes will be keen to end his dry spell for United.

The Portuguese midfielder is without a goal or assist in his last three games.

That’s hardly anything Solskjaer is worried about but it’s just so rare to not witness something magical from Fernandes.

You can bet he’ll be chomping at the bits for a big game on Sunday.

Match Info

 Sunday’s match from Old Trafford kicks off at 5 pm. (JSL).