Match Preview: Liverpool vs Manchester United (19.10.25)

We’ve had the first international break of the new 2025 season and the good news is that Liverpool FC are back in action today. Not only are LFC back in action, but also Gerrard The Red makes a healthy retunr after a decade’s absense. Gerrard The Red was set up as Wez G’s Liverpool football blog where I used to do mainly match previews and match reports for eevry game – I was doing this back in the 2014 season and the archived material is available on this website. Gerrard The Red at present is just merged into my main DJ Wez G website but I hope that these posts about LFC can come in thick and fast and I can help in some way to drive the Redmen forward to more silverware and success this season. #ynwa

Arne Slot makes the decision today to unleash the strike force of Alexander Isak from the start against the visitors from across the Pennines. I’ll be keen to see Isak settling in to prove his worth. A lot of the best Liverpool players we have had in recent years have stuck out their necks in order to deliver against the Mancs. Some people regard our confrontations with Man United as important as a Derby match. I’m not really into believeing that. The Liverpool Derby is with Everton and Everton alone and if you’ve ever atteneded a derby match you’ll know just how fierce and intense they really do get.

The matches with Manchester United are important and it seems now as if the roles have been reversed with thme being the club on the downturn. They are always fought with passion and pride. God knows how the Mancs still have Ruben Amorim in charge at the helm. I was hearing on the SKy SPorts News again this week how the club owners are giving him more time. He just seems to have been the worst manager they have had yet in the post-Ferguson era…. I know he’s relatively young, but I just lauh at the results they are currently churning out. I’m sure I’m not the only Liverpool fan out there who does so.

Anyway, the Mancs always bring their A-game out for us. Call it jealousy and the fact that we are their rivals in terms of being the most successful trophy-lifting football c;ub in England.

Alison Becker is still out injured with his hamstring so reserve keeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, steps in. I haven’t had much chance to see this guy in action. I sort of miss Kelleher a lot and he was always top notch and stepped up when our Brazilian number 1 was out. I hope thi snew guy delivers between the sticks!

Alexis MacAllister gets a run out in the midfield and up front, Isak and Salah are joined by Cody Cakpo. Our manager, Arne Slot, seems to favour Gakpo a lot. In my opinion he is still an unproven quantity and I feel he hasn’t delivered as many goals as necessary to warrant a constant starting place in first XI.

We are actually coming off the back of three successive defeats which is the worst period that I can remember yet under Slot’s reign. It makes today’s game ever more criticsal for us to turn around our fortunes. I think it will be a tricky quest to win the League this year and our team are still yet to settle properly and the new signings bed in properly.

Let’s see what this afternoon at Anfield delivers. I hope to be celebrating by the time I write the post-match report here on Gerrard The Red.

Liverpool starting XI: Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Isak, Gakpo. Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Robertson, Frimpong, Jones, Wirtz, Chiesa, Ngumoha, Ekitike.

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