Chris Sutton is in ‘no doubt’ as to who he thinks will come out on top in today’s FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester United and Liverpool.
The two eternal rivals clash at Old Trafford this afternoon vying for a place in the last four at Wembley, along with bragging rights for the next three weeks until they meet again in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag’s side somehow escaped Anfield with a 0-0 draw in December, although they come up against an in-form Reds outfit with eight wins and a draw (against Manchester City) from their last nine games.
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Giving his weekend predictions to BBC Sport, Sutton is anticipating a 3-1 win for Liverpool, saying: “I know United fans might be getting excited about their 0-0 draw at Anfield earlier this season too – with what felt like about 2% possession.
“But Liverpool are getting key players like Mohamed Salah back to full fitness and if they turn up and perform like they did in the second half against Manchester City last weekend, then they are going to win – no doubt about it.
“There is some good news for United because their striker Rasmus Hojlund is going to be back from injury, and starting the game by all accounts. That is massive for them and gives them a far greater chance of getting through, but if Liverpool are anywhere near their best they will still have too much for them.”
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Given Liverpool’s rich vein of form, return of big players such as Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai from injury, and 17-point superiority over United in the Premier League table, we’ve every reason to head to Old Trafford with plenty of belief to keep the quadruple hunt going beyond Easter.
However, for all their inconsistencies this season, Ten Hag’s side have shown that they can raise their game on occasion, as well as displaying an annoying tendency to soak up pressure and find ways to win even when playing mediocre.
They’ve also rediscovered the Alex Ferguson-era knack of scoring decisive late goals, so Jurgen Klopp’s team will need to keep their concentration not just for 90 minutes, but every second of stoppage time also.
That said, if Liverpool play like they did in the second half against Man City and opening 15 minutes against the admittedly brittle Sparta Prague, it’d be hard for any team in world football to live with them.
Going to Old Trafford is a leveller, and United have shown they can get results against us under Ten Hag, but we agree with Sutton that LFC at their best ought to be too strong for today’s opponents.