Between Liverpool's Perfection and Manchester United's Cycle

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY – For the first time in the long and storied history of the English League, two teams with a collection of 20 league trophies will face off. Defending champion Liverpool will host Manchester United at Anfield Stadium on Sunday (19/10/2025) at 22:30 WIB. The winner of this duel may take a bit of pride in considering themselves the king of kings in this fiercely competitive arena.

By comparing the performance at the beginning of the 2025-2026 season, Liverpool is favored to secure three points. The ambition of "The Reds" is clearly to end the three consecutive defeats experienced away from home.

After losing three games in a row, no matter who our next opponent is, we have to act positively.

Mohamed Salah and his teammates have the advantage to end their winless streak in the eighth week of the English League. In facing Manchester United, their eternal rival, Liverpool comes with a record of five consecutive victories at Anfield across all competitions this season.

Arsenal, the league leaders, and Everton, their city rivals, were unable to bring home points from Anfield. In other competitions, Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and Southampton in the League Cup have also experienced Liverpool's dominance on their home ground.

"After losing three consecutive times, regardless of who the next opponent is, we must take positive action. Not just Mo (Salah), all players must respond to that defeat," said Liverpool Manager Arne Slot at a press conference ahead of the match, Friday (17/10/2025).

Slot stated that matches against MU always feel special. Last January, Slot experienced one of the most intense games in his debut season at Liverpool when they drew 2-2 with MU at Anfield.

Without a doubt, Slot stated that this match will be more difficult. The Dutch tactician noted that MU has shown a much better performance than at the beginning of last season. He is confident that the "Red Devils" should be in a higher position than 10th place as they enter the eighth week.

"A very exciting and anticipated match will take place at Anfield. I believe the supporters will be very supportive of us. I am confident they understand that the team has suffered three consecutive defeats, so they will be ready to help us rise," said Slot.

The match against MU will be an opportunity for Alexander Isak, the Liverpool striker, to prove his best abilities. Whether he plays from the start or not, Isak is considered to be at a point where he should regularly contribute goals for the Reds.

Slot also mentioned that the striker from Sweden is approaching peak fitness. "I think we can assess him fairly starting now. His preseason is over, even though he hasn't scored for the national team. So, let's see where his capabilities lie in the coming weeks," said Slot.

In addition to placing high expectations on the individual abilities of the players, Slot also recognizes that there are still many weaknesses in his squad in defensive situations. The nine goals conceded by the Red team in the English League resulted from three different situations.

Four goals were scored through set pieces. Two more goals were scored due to Liverpool's lack of vigilance in blocking fast breaks, or counter-attacks. The other three goals were scored in open play.

Meanwhile, MU arrived at Anfield after a series of matches resulting in losses in the league. Since their first victory in the league this season in the third week against Burnley, MU has consistently lost in the following week when playing away.

After defeating Burnley, they were overwhelmed by Manchester City. They briefly led against Chelsea, only to fall to Brentford. Before the last international break, Manchester United secured their first victory and clean sheet against Sunderland, a promoted team.

MU manager, Ruben Amorim, acknowledged that the match against Liverpool is always significant for the players and supporters of his team. He is determined that MU will approach the game in order to uphold their honor.

"I know this match is very special for our club. I know they're also competing with us for (league) titles. So, this is more than just a game we have to win," Amorim said, as quoted by the BBC.

Amorim received a breath of fresh air amid his still inconsistent performance, as he has the full support of the owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Amorim is at least guaranteed to manage MU for three seasons.

That robust support system should enable the Portuguese coach to achieve a sweet result this weekend. Moreover, MU has not brought home a victory against Liverpool at Anfield for 9 years. That record was last set in January 2016, when MU won 1-0 thanks to a solitary goal from Wayne Rooney.

In order to eliminate the negative trend at Anfield, Amorim acknowledged that the first thing his team did was to change their mindset. The pressure to win in certain matches, Amorim admitted, was not managed well by his squad both individually and collectively.

"Perhaps when Manchester United is not expected to win, it is easier for the players to perform well. However, this is something we need to change. We must be able to continue to perform well and achieve results when there are expectations and responsibilities to win consistently," he stated.

Amorim plans to keep the starting XI unchanged for the match against Sunderland. This includes retaining Senne Lammens, who helped the Red Devils record their first league clean sheet of the season.