FA Cup: Manchester United vs Liverpool quarterfinals betting preview

We’re into the last eight of the FA Cup this weekend and on Sunday, there’s a massive Northwest Derby at Old Trafford as Manchester United welcomes Liverpool to town, with a spot in the semifinals on the line. The kick-off is scheduled for 11:30 AM ET. The Red Devils beat Everton 2-0 last weekend in Premier League action and overall, have been playing better as of late. As for the Merseysiders, they settled for a 1-1 draw with Manchester City last time out in what proved to be an exhilarating affair. Below, we’ll discuss the head-to-head history between these two prestigious clubs and preview the match. 

Head-to-head history

United and Liverpool have obviously met a ton of times overall but they’ve clashed on 15 occasions in the FA Cup. The Red Devils have progressed 10 times compared to four for the Reds. Liverpool has won five of the last seven across all competitions against Manchester. Their more recent encounter was a scoreless stalemate in December of last year. 

Manchester United

Erik ten Hag’s men are still lacking consistency, but compared to the beginning of the campaign, this side is improving. United is 3-0-2 in their last five outings and have grabbed some impressive wins in recent weeks, beating the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa, and Wolves. And while a 3-1 defeat in the Manchester Derby earlier in the month was far from ideal, the Red Devils bounced back on the weekend at the Theater of Dreams versus Everton.

Alejandro Garnacho was responsible for both goals, drawing fouls in the box that led to a pair of penalties. Bruno Fernandes bagged the first before Marcus Rashford calmly beat Jordan Pickford for the second. It wasn’t the most clinical performance from Man United but they made their two clear-cut opportunities from the spot count.

Scoring goals has been an issue for the Red Devils all term, with Rashford having a miserable campaign. That being said, Rasmus Hojlund has really started to find his form since the turn of the year and is expected to return from injury against Liverpool. The Dane has scored seven times in the Premier League and provided two assists. Sports betting sites have made the hosts a heavy underdog on Sunday.

Liverpool

It’s Jurgen Klopp’s final season at Anfield and boy, are Liverpool making it count. The Reds are tied on 64 points with Arsenal for top spot in the EPL, compiling an impressive 19-7-2 record. While they’re in Europa rather than the Champions League, Liverpool is a favorite to win that competition. A treble is still a possibility.

In the FA Cup, the Merseysiders hammered Southampton 3-0 in the last round with a starting XI that featured a lot of young players. Considering this is the quarterfinals, you can expect Klopp to roll out his best here, with Mo Salah likely slotting back into his spot up top after missing time through injury. The Reds are an impressive 4-1-0 in their last five games, winning seven in a row before the stalemate with Man City. 

John Stones opened the scoring at Anfield but Alexis Mac Allister equalized early in the second half from the penalty spot. There were some questionable calls throughout the match that did not go Liverpool’s way, but both teams fought hard. The Reds undoubtedly showed they’re on City’s level. Liverpool is a clear favorite to take care of Man United at 888sport.