Alexander Isak was ruled out of Sunday’s derby against Manchester United with a groin injury, prolonging a difficult debut campaign at Liverpool. Isak had been eased into first-team action during his first three months at the club before suffering a broken fibula against Tottenham Hotspur in December. He did not make another appearance until April and had started to regain form, scoring a well-taken goal against Crystal Palace last weekend, but that momentum was halted.

Arne Slot named a 4-2-3-1 for the trip to Old Trafford: Freddie Woodman; Curtis Jones, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Jeremie Frimpong, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz; Cody Gakpo.

Substitutes: Armin Pecsi (GK), Joe Gomez, Milos Kerkez, Federico Chiesa, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha, Mor Talla Ndiaye, Will Wright.

With Hugo Ekitiké and Mohamed Salah also sidelined, Slot again adjusted his selection. Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong are all capable of filling the right-back role for Liverpool, while Szoboszlai and Frimpong have also been used further up the right flank. Cody Gakpo is expected to resume an unloved central striking role, though Slot could deploy Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai in a dual-false-nine setup he used sporadically last season.

First-choice goalkeeper Alisson did not overcome his fitness issue for the trip, and with Giorgi Mamardashvili also unavailable, Freddie Woodman started in goal once more.

At this late stage of the season a relatively minor muscle strain can end a campaign, and with a World Cup on the horizon there is added incentive for players and staff to take a cautious approach to rehabilitation and recovery.

Manchester United and Liverpool have produced a sequence of fixtures rich in drama and sudden swings of fortune. Michael Carrick set the tone ahead of his first meeting with the rival: “There’s big games and big rivalries that we have with other teams,” Manchester United manager Michael Carrick mused before his first managerial meeting with Liverpool, “but certainly this one is right up there in the history.”

One FA Cup quarterfinal captured that chaos in microcosm. Scott McTominay opened inside 10 minutes, only for the contest to unravel at the back for the hosts late on. In the closing stages United’s right winger Antony was deployed at left back beside Bruno Fernandes, who ended up orchestrating play from a deep defensive position. Antony forced extra time with an 87th-minute intervention after Liverpool had gone 2–1 up on the cusp of half time. Harvey Elliott nudged the visitors back in front, Marcus Rashford restored parity, and Amad Diallo snatched victory in the 121st minute. Diallo was shown a red card in the 122nd minute after collecting a second booking for taking his shirt off to celebrate the winner.

Less than a month later United applied a major dent to Liverpool’s Premier League hopes and ensured Jürgen Klopp would not have a happy sendoff. United were only denied all three points by Mohamed Salah’s late penalty. “It feels like a loss,” Virgil van Dijk lamented after the final whistle.

Arne Slot’s first visit to Old Trafford brought a different story. Liverpool ran rampant, Luis Díaz struck a first-half brace and Mohamed Salah added a further goal as the Theatre of Dreams emptied at half time. Casemiro was withdrawn at the interval by Erik ten Hag. Slot later explained how he outsmarted Ten Hag in his postmatch interview with Sky Sports.

January 2025, amid a Merseyside blizzard, arrived when Manchester United were fragile after four straight defeats and seven unanswered goals conceded. Under Ruben Amorim the visitors produced arguably their best performance of his doomed reign: Lisandro Martínez gave United an early lead, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah replied quickly, and Amad Diallo’s 80th-minute equaliser preserved pride.

Even the more recent meeting in October 2025 held a twist. United’s wait for an Anfield victory had stretched to nearly a decade by the time Harry Maguire thundered in the winner in a 2–1 win after an opening goal inside 63 seconds and a Cody Gakpo leveller in the 78th minute.

Manchester United head into Sunday’s Old Trafford meeting with Liverpool with the simplest of objectives: secure a result that would guarantee a return to the UEFA Champions League. The club’s progress over recent weeks is stark. Manchester United sat sixth, just three points ahead of the bottom half of the table, when Amorim was sacked. Now, Carrick’s men are third, three points clear of Sunday’s visiting Liverpool.

A finish no lower than fifth would deliver a Champions League place and end a two-season absence from Europe’s top competition. Aston Villa are level on points with Liverpool in fifth, but United have created a buffer further down the table: an 11-point gap over sixth-placed Brighton with only four matches to play.

A victory on Sunday would mathematically ensure United cannot finish lower than fifth. It would also open a six-point lead over Arne Slot’s still reigning English champions. With 12 points remaining to contest, United’s magic number is two. Just two more points from the final four fixtures would be sufficient to clinch qualification.

Beating Liverpool is the clear priority for Carrick’s side, but the permutations mean qualification can still be achieved without a win on the day. A draw or even a defeat does not automatically eliminate United from securing a top-five finish that weekend.

Only Bournemouth and Brighton retain theoretical hope of overturning United’s advantage. That scenario is described in the draft as highly unlikely: in the extreme possibility that United lose all four remaining games, Brighton could finish one point ahead and Bournemouth could draw level on points and surpass United on goal difference. Crucially, that outcome requires both opposing sides to win every remaining match.

Brighton visit Newcastle United on Saturday; if the Seagulls fail to triumph at St James’ Park, Manchester United will approach the Liverpool fixture with Champions League qualification effectively already secured. Given the current standings and the remaining fixtures, the requirement is straightforward: get the necessary two points from four games, and Old Trafford returns to the Champions League.