Liverpool vs Manchester United is always circled in red on the Premier League calendar, but this prediction and odds preview arrives with an extra layer of intrigue: Sunday’s clash at Anfield (22 November 2026, 16:30 GMT, Matchweek 11) is Mauricio Pochettino’s first match in permanent charge of United, days after the club sacked Michael Carrick following one win in ten league games. Below is a verified, qualitative breakdown of both teams — no invented odds, no made-up bookmaker names, just form, team news and history.
When is Liverpool vs Manchester United and why does this one matter?
Kick-off is 16:30 GMT on Sunday 22 November 2026 at Anfield, in Premier League Matchweek 11. The timing is unusual: United sacked Carrick on 12 November and officially confirmed Pochettino as his successor shortly after, with the Argentine’s deal running from 18 November — meaning his very first game in charge is a trip to Anfield with barely a week of preparation.
What form are Liverpool in before facing Manchester United?
Liverpool’s last five Premier League results have been genuinely mixed: a 0-3 home defeat to Manchester City, a 2-1 away win at Brentford, a 2-0 home win over Brighton, a 0-1 home defeat to Arsenal — Kai Havertz’s goal was Arsenal’s first win at Anfield in 14 years, a result still referenced in our Matchweek 9 preview of that game — and a convincing 3-1 win at Crystal Palace, with Florian Wirtz scoring and assisting and Dominik Szoboszlai creating six chances. That win at Selhurst Park sits them comfortably in the top half of the table, firmly closer to the European places than to the bottom three, where United currently reside. That gap is reflected on the live Premier League table, which has United anchored near the foot of the standings while Liverpool sit well clear of the relegation picture.
What form are Manchester United in, and what changes with Pochettino?
United’s picture is far bleaker. Their last five league games read: a 1-1 draw with Tottenham, a 1-1 draw at Leeds, a 0-3 home defeat to Bournemouth, a 0-2 defeat at Chelsea, and a wild 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. That run left them 18th with just 8 points from 10 games — their worst start to a season in 40 years — and proved fatal for Carrick. Pochettino, released early from his USMNT contract, takes his first training session before this fixture and, per the club’s official confirmation, will be in the Anfield dugout for his competitive debut. New-manager bounces are real but unpredictable, and a squad this short on confidence, with almost no time to work on a new system, is not guaranteed one.
Which players are injured or returning for Liverpool and Manchester United?
Both squads have selection concerns heading into the weekend.
Liverpool:
- Ryan Gravenberch (heel) — missed the last two matches, described by the club as day-to-day
- Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) — managed Crystal Palace but was reportedly “not 100 per cent” in the second half
- Jeremie Frimpong (thigh) — picked up the issue against Brentford, a post-break return possible but not confirmed
- Giovanni Leoni (ACL) — expected to rejoin training during the break, still some way off matches
- Conor Bradley (knee) — long-term, recovering from surgery
- Hugo Ekitike (Achilles) — still in recovery
No Liverpool players are suspended for this one.
Manchester United:
- Luke Shaw (muscular problem) — targeting a return for this specific fixture
- Marcus Rashford (hip) — on a revised recovery plan, availability genuinely uncertain
- Harry Maguire (back) — was expected to have recovered in time after being withdrawn at half-time against Villa
- Carlos Baleba (hamstring) — ruled out for several weeks
- Benjamin Sesko (shin) — out until 2027
- Ayden Heaven — picked up a fitness setback on England Under-20 duty during the break
What does the Liverpool vs Manchester United head-to-head record show?
The two clubs have met 218 times across all competitions, with United ahead 85 wins to 72, and 61 draws. The recent trend has actually tilted United’s way: a 3-2 win at Old Trafford in May 2026 (Mainoo’s late winner), a 2-1 win at Anfield in October 2025 (Harry Maguire’s goal, ending a near-decade wait for a United away win there), and a 2-2 draw at Anfield in January 2025. That’s United unbeaten in the last three meetings — a notable reversal after years of Liverpool dominance in this fixture, which still includes Liverpool’s 7-0 record victory at Anfield in March 2023.
What is the prediction for Liverpool vs Manchester United?
On raw league form and table position, Liverpool should be favourites: a top-half side missing some creative pieces against a team that has won once in ten and is changing manager mid-week. But this fixture has a habit of ignoring form tables, and United have taken points off Liverpool in three of their last three meetings, including two wins. Pochettino’s arrival adds a genuine wildcard — new coaches sometimes extract an immediate reaction from a demoralised dressing room, even with almost no time on the training ground.
The safest read is that Liverpool enter as the stronger side on paper and at home, but this is exactly the kind of “trap game” that has bitten them before against a United side with nothing left to lose and a new face barking instructions from the touchline. No odds or bookmaker prices are included here because no verifiable, live market could be confirmed at the time of writing — check our wider look at the 2026-27 Premier League title race for how both clubs’ seasons fit into the bigger picture, and come back closer to kick-off for updated, verified markets once they are live.
Oliver Taylor writes the match previews and betting analysis published under this byline on 10BettingTips, covering the competitions the site follows in depth: the Premier League, the Champions League, the Europa League, major boxing cards, and tournament coverage such as the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.
Previews built under this byline start from verifiable inputs — current league standings, head-to-head history, confirmed team news, and injury reports — rather than a fixed prediction formula. Before a tip is published, it goes through the checks described in 10BettingTips’ methodology for verifying odds, bonuses and predictions.
Unlike tip sheets that quietly drop losing picks, every prediction published under this byline is logged and settled publicly rather than removed if it loses. The running count of wins, losses and pending bets is maintained on 10BettingTips’ track record page, updated after each round of fixtures so readers can check performance for themselves instead of taking it on trust.
Recent coverage includes Premier League matchweek previews, Champions League and Europa League matchday guides, World Cup 2026 analysis, and fight-week odds breakdowns for major boxing cards — the full archive of this author’s articles is listed below this bio.
