Liverpool hosts Manchester United in the biggest domestic fixture on the English football calendar this afternoon, but the two sides could barely go into the game in more contrasting form.

Arne Slot's side sits pretty at the top of the Premier League table, with 45 points from 18 matches, while the visiting side has collected just 22 points from 19 games and is currently in 14th place — just seven points above the relegation zone.

At the time of writing, it has not been confirmed whether the game will go ahead after heavy snowfall in the North West overnight, but until we hear otherwise, we must press ahead and preview the match as normal.

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Slot will be forced to make at least one change to the team that lined up against West Ham in the Reds' final game of 2024, with Joe Gomez set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury.

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Ibrahima Konate returned to training on Friday after more than a month out with a knee injury, but he is likely to be eased back into the team, with Jarell Quansah potentially in line for his first Premier League start at center-back since the opening weekend of the season.

Quansah has lined up just twice in the league under Slot, with his most recent start coming at right-back against Newcastle in December, but could partner Virgil van Dijk in defense against United, with goalkeeper Alisson and regular full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson completing the back line.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will surely keep their places, but Curtis Jones, despite impressing this season, could be replaced by Dominik Szoboszlai after the Hungarian served a one-match ban against West Ham; Szoboszlai is well suited to matches that are high in intensity, and Liverpool vs United is usually that.

In attack, there is no need to veer away from the Cody Gakpo-Luis Diaz-Mohamed Salah triumvirate that has impressed this season. All three men scored against West Ham last time out.

Predicted Liverpool line-up vs United: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Salah, Diaz