EPL preview: Liverpool vs Man United is more than just football

Despite all the rivalries in European football that Manchester United may have developed over the course of hundred years, there is no bigger match than Liverpool versus United. There is no hiding from the fact that Liverpool have not quite been the major title-challengers in the past few seasons — hence reducing the fixture’s importance by a wee bit. But when the two teams meet on Sunday— pride, glory, three points and bragging rights take a back seat. This match isn’t about winning. Rather it’s about whether the fans of these clubs can gulp their enmity, think about those who died in Munich and Hillsborough and behave like supporters of world-class teams. [caption id=“attachment_464726” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Will Evra and Suarez forget about the race row? Reuters[/caption] For Manchester United fans, this is the time to digest the fact that Liverpool were not responsible for the Hillsborough disaster. The latest report about the disaster has thrown light on a terrible tragedy and its underbelly — and it is time to respect that. Alex Ferguson wrote in his letter to United fans: “This is about much more than not blocking gangways. Today is about thinking hard about what makes United the best club in the world.” And whether both sides can refrain from chanting their vicious jibes will decide the legacy of this rivalry in the years to come. Moving onto more specific things on the pitch, United and Liverpool will both recall some players after resting some in midweek and the EPL gameweek before this. There are no new injury concerns. United are without Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Ashley Young and should recall Robin van Persie after he was left on the bench for the Wigan match. Liverpool left out several players from their midweek fixture against Young Boys and should see the return of Steven Gerrard, Joe Allen and Luis Suarez as starters. The biggest advantage for Liverpool will be knowing that they haven’t let United beat them at Anfield since 2007 (W4, D1 in Liverpool’s favour). This fixture has seen four red cards in the last five matches played at Anfield. Also, there’s the issue about Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez and how they react at the pre-match handshake. We will most likely see them patch up things. Liverpool have failed to win any of their first four fixtures this season and are languishing in 17th place. Another loss could seriously dent their confidence ahead of a long season. Follow live updates of this fixture on Firstpost on Sunday 5 PM onwards.