United were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City immediately before the international break, with Jose Mourinho describing his side's performance as the best he has seen since taking charge in the summer despite the loss of two points. The Red Devils have certainly looked far more fluent and coherent in their last two outings - champions Leicester City were thrashed 4-1 the week before the draw with Stoke - and Mourinho will be hoping they have now turned a corner following consecutive losses to Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford last month.
Liverpool secured a 2-1 triumph at Swansea City last time out, second-half goals from Roberto Firmino and James Milner turning the game on its head after the Reds trailed at the interval. Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last five encounters in the Premier League stretching back to August, with their points tally of 16 for the season particularly impressive given that they have already faced Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Leicester. Jurgen Klopp's charges look good enough to mount a championship challenge at present, but they must now prove that they can remain consistent throughout the campaign.
United will have to make do without defender Phil Jones, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan is available for selection once more following a spell on the sidelines with a groin muscle strain. Wayne Rooney is likely to remain outside the starting XI, with Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata all excelling in a new-look midfield trio in recent weeks, while Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Mkhitaryan are all battling it out for the two spots on the flanks. At the back, Daley Blind will probably again get the nod ahead of Luke Shaw on the left-hand side of the defensive line of four, with Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly set to continue their partnership at centre-half.
Liverpool are hoping to have Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne available for this clash with their northwest rivals, but Georginio Wijnaldum looks set to miss out through injury. Emre Can will probably come into midfield if the Dutchman is indeed unavailable, while Daniel Sturridge may once again have to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench. Elsewhere, goalkeepers Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet are both battling for the No.1 shirt between the sticks, with the German most likely to get the nod.
Mourinho’s Manchester United and Klopp’s Liverpool may each have to settle for a share of the spoils when they lock horns at Old Trafford on Monday evening. A 2-2 draw could therefore be the way to go in this one, particularly given the fact that both teams have struggled defensively at times this term. Another option could be backing the Reds’ Roberto Firmino to score the first goal of the game.
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