sport news Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are undisputed picks in our combined Man ... trends now

It may not have the title implications of bygone seasons but upsetting their bitter rivals' title ambitions will be enough to motivate Manchester United, who themselves still have faint Champions League hopes.

Jurgen Klopp's men head to the Theatre of Dreams fighting the bitter taste of the 4-3 FA Cup defeat which left the German's fairytale quadruple in tatters.

Liverpool have suffered defeats in their last two visits to Old Trafford, since a Mo Salah hat-trick led them to a famous 5-0 victory in 2021, and know they cannot slip up if they hope to clinch their second Premier League title under Klopp.

Memories of Amad Diallo's last-gasp winner will haunt the travelling fans but that would be quickly forgotten if they can produce another victory on enemy territory.

Liverpool have easily one of the strongest squads in world football, but how many of Ten Hag's stars would make a combined XI? Here, Mail Sport runs the rule over the two sides ahead of the game.

FORMATION - 4-3-3

Goalkeeper

With Alisson still on the sidelines, both Andre Onana and Caoimhin Kelleher have a reasonable case to wear the gloves.

Despite his Champions League woes, Onana has had a solid debut season, with only Arsenal's David Raya and Jordan Pickford of Everton having kept more clean sheets in the Premier League.

While some of the criticism for his European performances against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray were deserved, with his side crashing out in the group stage for the first time since 2015-16, he has grown into one of the most pressured roles in football. Just remember how long it took David de Gea to earn that shirt.

Young Irishman Kelleher has admirably filled the sizeable boots of Alisson, who should return from a thigh injury in the next few weeks just in time for the run-in.

Kelleher has just two clean sheets in his eight Premier League starts this season, with his most notable performance coming in their EFL Cup final victory in February.

Although they are both growing into their roles, Onana's greater experience and growing consistency means he has to start between the sticks.

Verdict: Andre Onana (Man United 1-0 Liverpool)

Right back

In the absence of Liverpool's local lad it is another young Irishman who will come in for his first start at Old Trafford.

Conor Bradley has been a breath of fresh air for this Liverpool side, giving fans hope that Trent Alexander-Arnold can be pushed further forward to let his attacking talent flourish.

Bradley has three assists and a goal in his seven league appearances for the Reds, already one more involvement than Diogo Dalot has in his 27 games this season.

Whilst still only 25, Dalot has been at United for almost six years now, but has never cemented a spot in the starting line-up.

He does lead United's tight defence in interceptions and tackles this season and his steady form has often been forgotten behind their shaky results.

Bradley's talent is clear to see and the Kop End adore his energy and passion. If Trent were around this would be a no-brainer, but his back-up is certainly a star in the making.

Verdict: Conor Bradley (Man United 1-1 Liverpool)

Centre backs 

A Rolls Royce? A Bentley? A Ferrari? There seems to be no end to the priceless cars that get compared to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.

In his six seasons with the club, Van Dijk has been the talismanic figure that fans could only have dreamt of when they splashed a mammoth £75million on him in 2018.

A Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and two EFL Cups have followed, alongside a second-place Ballon d'Or finish. The question is really who partners the Dutch dynamo.

England head to the Euros in the summer with an array of attacking talent, but centre back still proves to be a position that troubles Gareth Southgate's men.

Harry Maguire's inability to cement a spot in the team leaves his England position under threat.

Raphael Varane may not have been the same force he once was at the Bernabeu, but the four-time Champions League winner and world champion has had a steady season.

He averages almost six clearances per game and has only been dribbled past four times all season.

Some may argue that playing alongside Van Dijk is the easiest job in football, Ibrahima Konate has gone up the gears this year, often striding out of defence to lead the Liverpool charge.

A far higher duel success rate than Varane is tempting, but a costly dismissal against Arsenal shows that Konate still has a lot to learn.

Verdict: Virgil van Dijk and Raphael Varane (Man United 2-2 Liverpool)

Left back

Another spot that would have been locked up by the Reds if they had a fully fit squad.

Yet the absence of Andy Robertson has given Joe Gomez the chance to step up while Anfield's latest beloved-Scotsman works his way back to full fitness.

It is easy to forget that Gomez

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