Liverpool V Manchester United – Saturday, 28 January 2012 (LIVE on ITV1)

Liverpool V Manchester United

Date & Kick-Off: Saturday, 28 January 2012 – 12:45 GMT

Venue: Anfield

FA Cup, Fourth Round

Preview

Three months on from their highly-charged and ultimately controversial Premier League encounter at Anfield, age-old rivals Liverpool and Manchester United prepare to do battle all over again only this time a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup is at stake. Fortunately for us, it is live on ITV1 from midday Saturday.

Meetings between these two are always feisty affairs, more so at Anfield where four red cards have been produced in the last six encounters there. However, not one was produced in their league meeting back in October – or so it seemed. Allegations were made after the game that Liverpool striker Luis Suarez racially abused United full-back Patrice Evra, a charge he was later convicted of by the FA and subsequently handed an eight-game suspension.

As a result of the Suarez-Evra incident, relations between the two clubs – particularly the two sets of supporters – is fractious, so we can expect a hostile atmosphere at the game, as is the norm whenever these two footballing juggernauts collide. One suspects a certain Patrice Evra, who was recently made United skipper in the absence of Nemanja Vidic, is in for a hot reception too.

Pair inspired by recent victories over Manchester City

There is a lot these two clubs have in common. Like the fact they’ve both won countless honours, including this very competition eighteen times between them. They also boast recent triumphs over the current leaders of the Barclay’s Premier League, which both will feel should stand them in good stead for Saturday’s dinner-time tussle.

Manchester City have been the team to beat this season, with the Citizens having set an unrelenting pace at the Premier League summit early on. So anybody who manages to get the better of them deserves to go up in anyone estimations.

United will fear nobody in this competition, not after going to the Etihad Stadium in the third round and dumping their City rivals out at the very first hurdle with a 3-2 victory. They have since gone on to record back-to-back league wins, the most recent a gutsy 2-1 win at Arsenal, thus perhaps proving that their win over Roberto Mancini’s men could very well be the catalyst for a typically strong second half of the season for Sir Alex Ferguson & Co.

However, Liverpool inflicted defeat on Man City as recently as Wednesday, with their 2-2 draw at Anfield – coming from behind twice – enough to secure them a 3-2 aggregate victory in the semi-final of the Carling Cup, having also gone to the Etihad Stadium and won two weeks earlier. Now the Reds can look forward to their first appearance at the new Wembley, as well as the very real prospect of silverware, with the Reds set to take on Cardiff of the Championship on February 26 in the final.

Liverpool toothless at home, whereas United are formidable wherever

Morale will be at an all-time high following on from their success in the Carling Cup, but whether a lift in spirit is enough to lift their overall level of performance at home really does remain to be seen. To be honest, Liverpool haven’t performed too badly at Anfield this season. They have been extraordinarily toothless, though; while they’ve not been beaten on their own patch in 2011-12, they have won just the four times (W4 D8 L0 in all competitions).

As for United, well it doesn’t really matter to them whether they’re at home or on the road; Sir Alex’s side have secured as many wins (8) away from home as they have at Old Trafford in this season’s Premier League. Which highlights one crucial point: Manchester United are a prominent threat wherever they play their football, as their 3-2 scalp of Man City at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of this competition proved.

Match Pointers

- Liverpool were 1-0 winners when they last hosted Manchester United in the FA Cup, with Peter Crouch netting the only goal back in February 2006.

- Manchester United ended a run of three successive defeats away to Liverpool when earning a 1-1 draw in their Premier League visit last October; Javier Hernandez, who has two goals in his two visits to Anfield, cancelling out Steven Gerrard’s opener.

- A 5-1 victory over Oldham at Anfield ensured Liverpool’s passage into the fourth round, while United eliminated City rivals Man City with a 3-2 win at Etihad Stadium.

- Liverpool have yet to lose a game at home this season, but they have drawn an abnormally high amount (W4 D8 L0 in all competitions).

- In the Premier League, United have won as many games away as they have at home (8), with their only defeat on the road being a 3-0 reverse to Newcastle on 4 January.

Betting

As ridiculous as it may sound, this could be the perfect time to go to Anfield – which has hardly been a fortress this season. Everyone involved with Liverpool should be proud of their achievements in the Carling Cup having beaten decent opposition to get to the final, where they now face Cardiff at Wembley. However the final isn’t for another month, so it’s crucial Kenny Dalglish stresses the importance of their upcoming games as progress in the FA Cup and finishing in the top-four in the league are far more important objectives than clinching the League Cup.

Liverpool’s focus and application in the big games cannot be questioned. They’ve gone to both Arsenal and Chelsea and won, should have beaten both Manchester clubs at home, while home and away they were awesome versus Manchester City in the Carling Cup semi-final. But they could be caught out here, mid-celebration if you like, by a red-hot United who were unbelievably good for the first 45 minutes at Man City in the previous round.

The Reds were fortunate they didn’t need to win on Wednesday, as they haven’t done a whole lot of that at home this season. Just two wins in their last eight Premier League home games is abysmal by Liverpool’s own very high standards, as is 14 goals in 11. Had it not been for Craig Bellamy, they would probably would not of prevailed in midweek.

That was the Welshman’s second game in four days and with that in mind, he’s an instant doubt this weekend, which means Dalglish, who is already shorn of star striker Luis Suarez, will have to call upon Andy Carroll. I fail to see how a Liverpool side shorn of Suarez and Bellamy can carve out sufficient openings as to win this game, especially with Carroll up top. So it’s United for me, who cut Arsenal open numerous times at the Emirates last weekend.

Prediction: Manchester United to WIN @ 9/5 WilliamHill

Value Bet: 1-0 Man Utd (Correct Score) @ 9/1 Ladbrokes

Match Odds

Liverpool – 17/10 StanJames

Draw – 23/10 BetVictor

Manchester United – 9/5 WilliamHill