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Liverpool v Man Utd preview: Rivals lock horns tonight

Liverpool v Man Utd preview: Rivals lock horns tonight

The eagerly awaited north west derby between Liverpool and Manchester United sees Jurgen Klopp pit his wits against Jose Mourinho on Red Monday.

The fixture remains one of the fiercest rivalries in football, involving two clubs that have won a combined 87 major trophies (Liverpool 44, Man Utd 43) between them.

Liverpool are in red-hot form, winning their last four Premier League games - their longest run of successive wins under Klopp - while United have already lost two league matches this season and are five points behind leaders Manchester City.

However, United's recent record against Liverpool is strong, winning the last four league meetings between the teams. They were also the last visiting team in the Premier League to win and keep a clean sheet at Anfield with their 1-0 victory in January.

Liverpool won the last meeting between the two sides at Anfield, winning 2-0 in the first leg of last season's Europa League last-16 tie.

 

Team news

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana remains a doubt for Klopp.

The England international sustained a groin strain in the win at Swansea just before the international break and his availability is still to be determined.

Fellow midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum returned from Holland duty with a hip problem although neither he nor Lallana have yet been ruled out, while defenders Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren, who both withdrew from their respective international squads with injuries, are fit.

Mourinho will have both Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan available on Monday night.

Left-back Shaw has missed United's last four fixtures with a groin strain while a thigh problem has kept Mkhitaryan sidelined since the Manchester derby on September 10.

Defender Phil Jones (knee) is the only definite absentee while England captain Wayne Rooney, dropped from the Three Lions' starting line-up in midweek, may have to make do with a fourth successive game among United's replacements.

 

Match stats

Liverpool have lost more Premier League matches (27) and also the most league matches (67) against United than versus any other opponent.

Liverpool have lost each of their last four Premier League clashes with United, their worst league losing streak against the Red Devils since March 2008 (five defeats).

This clash has seen 16 red cards shown in the Premier League; only Everton v Liverpool (21) has produced more dismissals.

Klopp has lost just one of his five meetings with Mourinho (W3 D1), with that defeat coming in 2013 when Borussia Dortmund lost 2-0 at Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg.

Since Klopp was appointed as Liverpool manager in October 2015, they have scored more goals than any other Premier League team (73) and have the highest average possession figure (58.8 per cent).

Juan Mata has had a hand in five goals in his last four appearances against Liverpool in the Premier League, scoring three and assisting two.

Only Steven Gerrard (eight) has scored more goals in this Premier League fixture than Rooney (six - level with Robbie Fowler).

Rooney currently has 87 Premier League away goals, the joint-most in the competition alongside Alan Shearer.

Manchester United had three points more at this stage last season under Louis Van Gaal (16) than they currently have after seven games of 2016-17 (13).

Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn't scored in three league appearances - his worst run in league competition since January 2015 (four in a row for Paris Saint-Germain).

Marcus Rashford has scored 12 goals since his debut for United on February 25 2016 (all competitions) - four more than any other player for United in this period. It's also two more competitive goals than any player for Liverpool since his debut.

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