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Manchester United and Liverpool are ready to kick off their 2022-23 season with their first pre-season friendly in Bangkok, Thailand. Both teams had contrasting last seasons but ended the year on a disappointing note. The Reds lost in the Champions League finals, while the Red Devils ended with the worst points tally in the Premier League era. Hence both managers would like want to start this year on a positive note.
But like last season, there is a clear difference between the quality of the two teams as Liverpool has had an incredible transfer window where they brought in Benfica striker Darwin Nunez who has been an absolute machine over the last season. Whereas, Manchester United has only managed to sign backup fullback Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.
Both teams have named a squad full of young players which could lead to an exciting affair. So here are some predictions for the first pre-season friendly between Liverpool and Manchester United:
First Half Result
Taking stats from the last season, Liverpool has been one of the best-attacking teams in the world. Similarly, their first-half stats also look amazing as they have scored 43 goals. Whereas, Manchester United have only scored 20 goals in the first half and this trend looks to continue as they don’t have Cristiano Ronaldo. Hence, the first-half scores could be 1-0 in Liverpool’s favour.
Full-time Result:
The wins during the pre-season are rarely important, but both managers would still want to win this game. Erik Ten Hag will be making his managerial debut for Manchester and hence wouldn’t want to suffer a heavy defeat in his first game. Similarly, a loss for Liverpool would be seen as a setback despite the nature of the contest. Hence the game could end in a high-scoring draw with a score line of 2-2 with both sides set to use a number of young players.
Who can be the possible goal scorers?
Both teams have some exciting and versatile attacking players who can create some magic with the ball on their feet. For Liverpool, the perennial superstar Mo Salah could find the back of the net as he has enjoyed scoring against the Red Devils. Similarly, we could see the debut of the Reds’ newest attacking star Darwin Nunez who could exploit the defensive struggles suffered by Manchester United over the last season. For the Devils, their midfield maestro Bruno Fernandes could score the majority of the goals as he will reportedly play in the false nine role for Ten Hag. Similarly, Jadon Sancho could find the back of the net as he was finding some decent form towards the end of the season.
Top performers of the game
Bruno Fernandes after a disappointing last season would want to bounce back starting in the preseason. Similarly, Mo Salah as well would stamp his authority after becoming the highest-paid player in Liverpool’s history. So these two players have the best chance to become the top performers in this fixture.
Possible Debuts
As mentioned earlier, we could see Darwin Nunez in Liverpool threads for the first time. Along with the Uruguay international, Fabio Carvalho could be making his Reds debut as he could play in multiple attacking positions. Whereas for Manchester United, their new signing Tyrell Malacia could be seen running on the flanks for the Red Devils.