ENGLISH PREMIER BETTING PREVIEW - MANCHESTER UNITED VS LIVERPOOL

English Premier

2026-05-03 - Manchester United vs Liverpool

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Manchester United v Liverpool
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 3rd May 2026 - Kick Off 3:30pm
This game is live on TV

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Manchester United

Another victory at Old Trafford has pushed Manchester United to the brink of returning to the Champions League and it has certainly given Michael Carrick a real shot at becoming the next permanent manager of the club. There is still some motivation to finish in the top three of the Premier League standings and a win on Sunday would go a long way to achieving that.

Four games remain and Manchester United are 3rd in the Premier League table and with a 3 point advantage over both Liverpool and Aston Villa. The 11-3-3 record at Old Trafford in the top flight has been a huge reason for the successes of this campaign, although fans will be expecting a big summer to build on the season that has been put together and with European Football returning.

Manchester United have lost 1 of the last 5 Premier League games played and have won consecutive fixtures against Chelsea and Brentford to avoid being dragged back into a top five race. They were recently beaten by Leeds United at Old Trafford, but Manchester United bounced back with that win over Brentford and have won 6 of the last 7 League games played here.

Lisandro Martinez completes his suspension, while both Luke Shaw and Matheus Cunha are hoping to be available.

Liverpool

A couple of solid weeks for Liverpool have eased the pressure on Arne Slot and it is increasingly likely that the board are going to back the Dutchman to guide the club into the 2026/27 season. Finishing in the Champions League places a year after the winning the Premier League title means the board have kept faith with Slot and Liverpool are almost certainly going to secure a top five finish.

Winning on Sunday and moving into 3rd place in the Premier League table would underline the support behind the manager, while Liverpool will come into the weekend in 4th place and 8 points clear of Brighton outside of the top six. The Reds make the short trip to Old Trafford with a 7-3-7 away record in the top flight.

Liverpool were beaten in both Champions League Quarter Final Legs against Paris Saint-Germain, but they have won 3 Premier League games in a row. Before scoring a goal in the 100th minute to win the Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool had lost 4 away games in a row in all competitions.

Alisson and Milos Kerkez are both doubts, while Mo Salah is expected to miss out.

Head to Head

Manchester United scored early and pretty late in a 1-2 win at Anfield back in October.

They had been unbeaten in 3 home games against Liverpool and Manchester United had won twice in that run, but the sequence was snapped in a 0-3 defeat here in September 2024.

Prediction

There is always going to be a lot of attention around Manchester United vs Liverpool fixtures, but some of the importance of this fixture has been lessened after recent results.

Both of these clubs are on course for a spot in the Champions League and even a defeat is unlikely going to prevent them from doing that.

It does mean that both Michael Carrick and Arne Slot can allow the players to perform with some freedom and the fans are always going to want to have bragging rights over the next few months.

Manchester United beat Brentford on Monday, but the performance was not perfect and there is a big summer ahead for the club. Being back in the Champions League makes it that much more comfortable in bringing in the players that are required, but Carrick will want his team to offer a bit more defensive resilience in this one.

The likelihood is that Matheus Cunha will be available for the home team and Manchester United can pose a real attacking threat against an opponent who have struggled when travelling in recent weeks.

Winning at Everton will change some of the narrative, but Liverpool were not at their best on that day and needed a goal in the 100th minute to earn the victory. The 4 losses in a row before that victory is telling and Liverpool are also expecting to be without Mo Salah for this one, which hurts them in attacking areas.

Arne Slot will be a bit more comfortable with some of the defensive numbers, but Crystal Palace created good chances against Liverpool last week. They may have to play a third choice goalkeeper for the second week in a row and Liverpool may struggle to avoid being swept in the Premier League meetings by Manchester United for the first time in over a decade.

The Pick :

Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Manchester United to Win at 2.25 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is leading by two goals)