8:30 PM on December 14th, Man United vs Liverpool: Soaring high and completely overshadowing!

A resurgent Manchester United has climbed into the Top 3, while Liverpool has plummeted to ninth place and is teetering on the brink of crisis. They meet with virtually no basis for Liverpool to hope to pull Manchester United back from their soaring run.

Van Persie (20) and his teammates will overcome a Liverpool in crisis.

The Reversal of Fate

If we had to find the most striking contrast between this season's Premier League and the same period last season, the fates of Manchester United and Liverpool would be the perfect example. At this point in the 2013/14 Premier League season, Liverpool sat comfortably in second place, just two points behind leaders Arsenal, while Manchester United were languishing in ninth place.

Exactly one year later, the fates of the two Red Devils have reversed. Man United are in third place, while Liverpool have dropped to ninth. At this time last season, The Kop were only two points behind the top of the table, but today, that gap has widened to 15 points.

Manchester United enter today's big match with a run of five consecutive wins, but this is generating a lot of mixed opinions. Do they deserve that record? Were the victories convincing? Has Manchester United truly revived? Too many difficult questions remain, and Van Gaal lacks the logical basis to answer them satisfactorily.

For example, in their recent match against Southampton, Man United displayed the tactics of a moderately average team, but their finishing was at the level of a great club. They only had three shots on goal but scored two goals – impressive!

But ultimately, regardless of how that victory came about, Manchester United's record is something Liverpool can only dream of, having won just two of their last seven Premier League matches. In a big game, where the question of class is still debated, the psychological factor will play a decisive role. That's where Manchester United currently has the edge over Liverpool.

Old Trafford is once again filled with joy.

Furthermore, in terms of technical aspects, Man United also has several superior statistics compared to their opponent. Regardless of whether the Red Devils' victory was truly a stroke of luck, at the very least, the shooting accuracy of Man United's strikers this season is significantly higher than Liverpool's: 50% compared to 42%.

Manchester United's fighting spirit in midfield is also far more intense than their opponents'. After failing with the 3-5-2 formation against Southampton, Van Gaal will undoubtedly revert to his familiar formation with the central midfield trio of Fellaini, Carrick, and Herrera. Just compare this trio to the Gerrard-Henderson pairing; even without a real match, it's easy to see that the home team has the upper hand in midfield.

By simply controlling the midfield well, Man United will minimize one of the factors that could be a turning point in this match: fatal mistakes. Self-destructive errors are becoming increasingly common in matches involving both Man United and Liverpool, but importantly, while Manchester United have players skilled at punishing mistakes, such players are extremely rare on Liverpool's side.

Just look at recent events. Against Southampton, Man United only needed three chances to score two goals. Liverpool, on the other hand, had five times as many chances against Sunderland, yet failed to score. And that's not even considering the double blow Liverpool suffered after their Champions League match against Basel midweek. They were physically exhausted, suffered a huge psychological shock, and lost all faith in their fans. According to the Daily Mail, Anfield that day resembled a "silent graveyard," where the chants of "You'll never walk alone" were weaker than ever before.

With Liverpool demoralized and missing key players, having only avoided defeat twice in their last 12 visits, Manchester United's chances of continuing their winning streak seem incredibly bright.

Coach Louis Van Gaal (Man United):I've always been aware that there's a huge difference between Liverpool playing against a bottom-of-the-table club and one at the top. In big games, I've seen every Liverpool player capable of making a decisive impact. That's their most formidable quality.

Coach Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool):Seven months ago, we were very close to winning the championship. Now, what I need is the same support as back then. I can confidently say that no manager could run Liverpool as well as I do right now.

INFORMATION

+ Man United: Blind, Jones, and Di Maria are out due to injury.

Liverpool: Balotelli, Flanagan, Suso, and Sturridge are injured.

+ According to Asian handicap, Man United have won all 4 of their recent matches after 7 consecutive losses. Liverpool have only won 2 of their last 7 matches.

+ At home, MU have only won 1 out of their last 6 matches according to Asian handicap.

+ On away games, Liverpool have only won 2 out of their last 7 matches according to Asian handicap.

+ MU has won 5 out of 7 recent matches against Liverpool according to Asian handicap.

NUMBER

1.87: Liverpool have conceded 13 goals in 7 away Premier League matches this season, averaging 1.87 goals conceded per game, the second lowest in the Premier League, only better than… QPR.

6: Striker Robin Van Persie has scored 6 goals in his last 9 encounters with Liverpool.

SPECIAL

Three or more goals: Eight out of ten of Man United's recent home games have ended with three or more goals scored. Six out of eight of the recent head-to-head matches between these two clubs have also seen at least three or more goals scored.

Odd number of goals: 7 out of the last 8 matches between Liverpool and Man United ended with an odd number of goals. 5 out of Man United's last 6 home games also ended with a total number of goals that was not divisible by 2.

CONFRONTATION

MU'S LAST 10 HOME MATCHES

Liverpool's last 10 away matches

PREDICTED LINEUP

According to bongdaplus