The gap of disparity between United and the top is closing but is it enough to keep Liverpool out of first place? We take a look at it all in this Big Match Live Preview.

We all know the scene, at the end of The Wizard of Oz, after the evil witch is finally dead. Everyone gathers around on the yellow brick road to sing the lyrics to the final song: ding dong the evil witch is dead.

This is the mood at Man United since sacking Jose.

But does Solskjaer and the gang have enough to stave off a bloodthirsty Liverpool side that wants nothing more in life than to lift the EPL trophy this year. Expect a derby atmosphere at Old Trafford as the Scoucers come to town.

With Everton struggling the way they have in recent seasons, the Liverpool – United clash might be one of the most emotionally evocative matches for Liverpool in recent years. The Jose vs Klopp rivalry might be gone, but that won’t take any tension off this match. Both sides will come out swinging.

Join Us SUN Feb. 19th @ 2:00 PM GMT / 9:00 AM EST

Take this as your official invitation to join us live during the match in the Big Match Live post. There you will find the blogging team and many other users commenting and discussing the match in the comments. Earn votes, meet new people, and gain new followers all in one place. Get off Twitter and Facebook and join us live here on Scorum.

Free Bets & Tips

Continuing with the Free Bet giveaway, @talesfrmthecrypt will be giving way 10 free 5 SCR bets to anyone who comments "Free Bet" in the comment section. First come, first serve. Bets are for 1X2 Lines only for Man United vs Liverpool.

Betting Tips

A derby match like this is nearly impossible to call. In all honesty, one could basically throw out season records and stats and merely pick the winner randomly, and you’d be just as likely to get correct as anyone else.

In the last six meetings between the sides, it’s ended in a draw 50% of the time, and I’m leaning towards another draw again here. However, I really like taking United on 1X. That way I can cover the home team winning and the likely draw. Allowing me to cover 75% of the outcomes while still have a little juice in there to take home.

My Pick: Man United 1X @ 1.6

Man United - Liverpool Preview

Man United has everything turning to gold since Jose was shown the door. I small hiccup against PSG in Champions League has been the only undoing Solskjaer has faced. The last defeat United have faced in the league came at the hands of, who else, but Liverpool. That one ended 3-1 but can United sooth the wound with a nice showing in the reverse fixture. The Red Devils are coming off a huge away win at Sanford Bridge. With Lukaku in a bit of a rut lately, not having a good showing in quite a while, it will be interesting to see if he starts here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar tactic and lineup that got them the win against Chelsea.

Liverpool seems like a beautiful porcelain figurine that could crack at any given second. As they get closer to the end of the season, the title race is dragging out, as if they can’t reach the finish line fast enough. So much is riding on this match for Liverpool. United have the benefit of being more carefree in this matchup while Liverpool cannot afford to give up a single centimeter if they hope to lift the trophy. There is greater fear now that Liverpool faced a frustrating scoreless match against Bayern in Champions League. Klopp and the boys must shake this quickly and not allow European competition affect their league play. Keep in mind, this is Liverpool’s game in hand against City, so a screw up here will cost them massively. A loss here will put them squarely in second place, and for the first time this season, they will be chasing Man City.

Team News

Man United

  • Have won 8 out of their last 9 league matches
  • Coming off first win at Sanford Bridge post-Ferguson
  • United have scored 2 or more goals in their last 6 matches

Liverpool

  • Unbeaten in 26 of their last 27 matches
  • Have suffered 2 recent draws against lower-half teams
  • Virgil van Dijk will make his return to the starting XI

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