Top of the table Liverpool will look to inflict further punishment on rivals Manchester United when they host Ruben Amorim’s struggling team on live TV.
Liverpool vs Manchester United best bets
- Liverpool to win and under 4.5.goals – 4/5 with Sky Bet
- Cody Gakpo to score or assist – 10/11 with Paddy Power
- Over 42.5 booking points – 5/6 with Betfred
Liverpool vs Manchester United odds
Find the latest match odds for Liverpool vs Man Utd. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
Liverpool vs Manchester United predictions
Liverpool will be looking to get 2025 off to a winning start when they host Manchester United on Matchweek 20.
Arne Slot’s team are top of the Premier League table with 45 points from 18 matches. They have a record of 14 wins, three draws and one defeat. The Reds started the matchweek with a six-point lead over second place Arsenal, but also have a game in hand over the Gunners.
Liverpool have been in great form over the holiday period.
There were back-to-back draws against Newcastle and Fulham in early December. But since then, Liverpool has won their last three in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals in the process.
The three-match winning streak started with a 6-3 win away at Spurs. That was followed by a 3-1 home victory over Leicester City on Boxing Day, with a 5-0 road-trip thrashing of West Ham on Sunday completing the sequence.
Mohamed Salah has been the principal tormentor in that run of wins. The Egyptian has contributed four goals and four assists in the three matches.
Over the course of the season, Salah has 30 goal involvements in the Premier League – 17 goals and 13 assists.
As a result, he is 15/8 to outscore United on his one with one bookmaker.
Manchester United ended Matchweek 19 sitting 14th in the table. The Red Devils have 22 points from 19 matches, with a -5 goal difference.
Since their remarkable 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad, United have lost four in a row. The rot started with a 4-3 Carabao Cup defeat away at Spurs.
That was followed by three Premier League defeats without so much as a goal from the Red Devils.
A 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth was followed by a 2-0 loss away at Wolves. Then on Monday in the final EPL match of 2024, United were beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford by Newcastle.
The defeat to Newcastle was woeful. United were lucky to only lose by two. The statistics might say the Red Devils had more possession and nearly as many shots as the Geordies, but the truth is Man Utd were totally cut to pieces in the opening 30 minutes and Newcastle should have been 3 or 4-0 up.
The sight and sound of Joshua Zirkee, a £36.5 million summer signing, being cheered after he was substituted off after 33 minutes was brutal, but summed up the mess at United.
The narrative is now that Manchester United are in a relegation battle. And questions are also being asked about how long they will persist with Ruben Amorim in charge.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss already looks to have run out of ideas about how he can turn the club around.
Liverpool vs Manchester United betting tips
Although this isn’t a Derby match, it is an intense rivalry at a Derby level. That is the only thing that gives Manchester United any chance in this match. But even using that theory would require a massive leap of faith to give United any chance of getting a result in their current form.
Liverpool won 3-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season. And that was a let off for the Red Devils. It should have been a bigger win. Furthermore, Liverpool have recorded wins of 7-0 and 4-0 over United in recent years at Anfield.
The match is more in danger of becoming a banker three points for the Merseyside team, than it is a competitive Derby. And the form of both teams this season, and more importantly in recent weeks, points to Liverpool’s dominance continuing with another win. Read more of our Liverpool v Man Utd betting tips below:
Liverpool to win and under 4.5 goals
Manchester United have lost their last three with under 4.5 goals scored in each match. At Anfield, Liverpool has won seven times this season in the Premier League, all of them with under 4.5 goals scored.
Furthermore, most of Liverpool’s big wins have come on the road. They have come in recent weeks. But across that same period, the Reds were held to a 2-2 home draw and they did have problems against Leicester in the first half of their 3-1 Boxing Day win at Anfield.
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Manchester United can’t afford to play an open and expansive game. They will get hammered if they do. And United manager Ruben Amorim is already under immense pressure and can’t afford a big hammering.
We expect to see an improved United. Not an improved enough version to prevent a Liverpool win. But enough to keep the scoreline respectable.
⚽ Back Liverpool to win and under 4.5.goals at 4/5 with Sky Bet ⚽
Cody Gakpo to score or assist
Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz have almost been involved in their own private battle to gain the trust of new Liverpool manager Arne Slot this season.
Gapko has five goals and two assists in the Premier League. Diaz has eight goals and two assists.
The Colombian has the upper hand over the course of the season. But in recent weeks it’s Gapko who has come to the fore.
The Dutchman has three goals and one assist in his last four. He has only played 286 of the 360 minutes.
In contrast Diaz has three goals in three matches across that period. The Columbian was an unused substitute in the 3-1 win over Leicester City.
We can see Gapko getting the nod to start ahead of Diaz against United. If he does he is great value to be involved in a goal at just under even money. If Diaz gets the nod, he is 5/6 in the same market and worth taking instead.
⚽ Cody Gakpo to score or assist at 10/11 with Paddy Power ⚽
Over 42.5 booking points
Manchester United haven’t shown much fight in their three recent Premier League matches. They only received one yellow in each of the matches against Newcastle and Bournemouth. But they did wrack up two yellows and a red (45 booking points) in the 2-0 defeat against Wolves.
It’s hard to understand what is going on here. Teams that are struggling will usually show a bit of fight and try and fire the crowd up. But United don’t seem to be doing this – certainly not at home.
Surely United have to show a bit of fight and spirit when they face Liverpool. They will be met by a hostile crowd. So it will be a case of either sink or swim.
We expect more bite and aggression from the Red Devils at Anfield. If they don’t show any here, then where will they do it?
⚽ Back over 42.5 booking points at 5/6 with Betfred ⚽
📺 How to watch Liverpool vs Manchester United
- Location: Anfield, Liverpool, England.
- Date and time: Sunday 5th January, 4.30pm GMT.
- How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
About the author
Dean Etheridge
Dean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge)
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