Jamie Carragher gives Man Utd v Liverpool prediction amid hard-hitting verdict on both teams

“I’m going to go for a 1-1 draw. I think these teams will probably finish third and fourth in the Premier League, but I don’t think either of them are a really good team, to be honest.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Liverpool getting results without being world-beating

Liverpool’s upturn in form has made this fixture seem less daunting than it did a month ago, and they’d actually secure Champions League qualification on Sunday if they win and both Brighton (away to Newcastle) and Bournemouth (at home to Crystal Palace) drop points over the weekend.

There’s some truth in Carragher’s view that recent performances haven’t been quite as good as the results would suggest – they needed a last-gasp Virgil van Dijk goal to beat Everton and were clinging onto a 2-1 lead against the Eagles last Saturday before Florian Wirtz’s stoppage-time strike.

After such a tough season for the Reds, though, we’d all have taken a sequence of three wins by any means necessary, and it’s put us in a position whereby a draw at Old Trafford could be viewed as a decent point earned rather than two dropped.

As Neville has said, a win on Sunday could have huge implications for either coach. If Man United triumph, Michael Carrick’s chances of getting the job permanently would increase. If Liverpool avenge the Anfield defeat from last October, it’d feel like an enormous fillip for Slot after the pressure he’s been under in recent months.

If this is another one of those games where the Merseysiders don’t play particularly well but come away with all three points, we’d happily sign up for that right now!