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Red v Red!

Red Fury at Old Trafford

The clashes between Manchester United and Liverpool last season were all about the race for the title in the English Premier League but the same cannot be said for this campaign.

The Red Devils are still very much in the hunt to retain their title and currently sit on top of the pile but are looking nervously at Chelsea and Arsenal in the race. The same cannot be said for Liverpool though.

The Merseyside club have had a terrible campaign and are caught up in the contest to finish in fourth position. This place is crucial as it allows Champions League qualification and if Liverpool do not qualify for this tournament, the financial status of the club may start to look tricky.

Man United Could Be Off the Top by Kick-off Time
By the time United and Liverpool kick-off, it is likely that they will not be at the top of the league. Arsenal could be top of the league if they defeat London rivals West Ham United on the Saturday.

With the league being so close at the moment, being top now counts for nothing but teams would definitely rather be top than not. Therefore, United will know what they need to do again by the time their Sunday lunchtime kick-off rolls around.

The fact that the matches are spread out for television coverage will allow as many people as possible to watch the games, adding to the tension and drama.

Although Liverpool are not in the hunt for the title, they do have plenty to play for and will be under a lot of pressure at Old Trafford.

Rafa Benitez is no longer as safe in his job as he may have once been so a win at the home of his greatest rivals will come as a massive relief to the Spaniard. Although they won’t be lifting any silverware themselves, Liverpool fans will be delighted if they can prevent Manchester United from being crowned champions of England this season.

Massive Rivalry Between the Sides
Although both sets of fans hate other, there is an added edge to their rivalry with both teams having the same amount of top flight league titles.

The turnaround since Alex Ferguson became manager of Manchester United has been astounding and if you told Liverpool fans in the 1980s that their rivals would be on the cusp of overtaking them, they would have laughed. Of course, it is no laughing matter for the Scousers who would then only have their European Cup record to lord over their Mancunian rivals.

And of course, Alex Ferguson has narrowed the gap with regards to that scale as well. Liverpool currently sit with five triumphs in the premier European trophy but Manchester United are currently sitting on three. With United still in the Champions League this season, you cannot rule out them narrowing that even further which would only crank up the pressure on the Liverpool fans even further.

Banter is one of the most important things that football fans have and share and losing the things that you can use to wind up other fans will make life quite hard for Liverpool fans.

Rooney On Fire
Manchester United are looking relentless at the moment and so much of this is down to the current form of Wayne Rooney.

With every passing game, the striker appears to be improving and is almost scoring at will. A lot of focus has been placed on the amount of headers he has scored of late but two strikes against Fulham on Sunday showed that Rooney is still more than capable of striking when the ball is on the ground. Pepe Reina will need to be in fine form if he hopes to shut Rooney out.

The previous match between these two clubs finished in a 2-0 triumph for Liverpool so the Merseyside club know that they have the ability to shut United out. Playing against the big teams has never really been the problem for the Anfield side, they are usually more than capable of raising their game when required. It is also the fact that they are very well organised by Rafa Benitez, who for all of his faults, is still a very capable manager.

Whether he is still in charge at Liverpool next season remains to be seen although the club may not be able to afford to sack him. Whichever way you look at it, the finances of Liverpool loom large over everything involving the club.

Is Torres on Way Out?
This means that they have to offload players like Fernando Torres this summer if they do not make the Champions League qualifiers. Torres will be a massive player at Old Trafford on Sunday and if Liverpool are to have any chance of winning they will require the Spaniard to be on top form.

He has an excellent scoring record in scoring against the Red Devils and will hope to continue this again. Vidic has a terrible record against the Spanish striker with a number of red cards and he may struggle yet again to contain El Nino. Once again, the hopes and dreams of Liverpool fans will be reliant upon their main forward.

Last season's 4-1 win at Old Trafford was not damaging to United’s title hopes but it was hugely embarrassing and it will be a score-line that Alex Ferguson will be keen to avenge this season. Three points are vital for the title race alone but when it comes to putting one over their greatest rivals, no one understands the psychology of this better than Alex Ferguson.

The United fans may be divided about the ownership of the club but they will be united in their loathing of Liverpool. Red and white are the common colours in the stands when these two sides clash but the green and gold look has become very common at Old Trafford of late. However, this is no dilution of the excitement and anticipation that is surrounding this match but it is ironic that these two great clubs are currently owned by Americans that are not favourites of the fans.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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