The FanSided soccer staff make their predictions for the weekend’s Premier League games, including Liverpool vs. Manchester United at Anfield.
The Premier League returns from the international break with one of the most anticipated matches of the season, as Manchester United travel to face Liverpool at Anfield in Saturday’s early morning kickoff.
The steaks are high for both sides, with United looking to move to the top of the table (at least until Manchester City play later in the day) and Liverpool looking to rebound from a run of only one win in four matches since beating Arsenal in August.
Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho will both be without several key players. Adam Lallana is still missing for the Reds, while Sadio Mane picked up a hamstring injury for Senegal that will see him miss six weeks. Paul Pogba is sidelined for United, and will be joined by Marouane Fellaini, who was thriving in the Frenchman’s absence, but succumbed to injury while on international duty.
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The other standout fixtures of the weekend include Manchester City’s match against Stoke at the Etihad; Crystal Palace’s attempt to win their first points (and score their first goal) of the season against Chelsea; and Everton’s trip to Brighton on Sunday, with Ronald Koeman under serious pressure after a poor start to the season.
FanSided’s soccer staff will be competing in a weekly picks league all season. The rules are simple: three points for a correct score, one for a correct result and none for an incorrect result. Here are the picks for matchweek 8:
We expect a close game at Anfield on Saturday, with no one predicting more than a one-goal win, though six writers expect the goal to go in United’s favor. Liverpool tend to be at their best against the top sides, however, so it should be a fascinating match. Here’s how the predictions table stands heading into the weekend’s matches:
