Florian Wirtz suggestion for Arne Slot as Liverpool vs Man Utd agreement is reached

View 2 Images

Two leading pundits are backing Liverpool to halt their run of defeats when they play Manchester United this Sunday. Arne Slot 's side have suffered defeats in their previous two Premier League outings against Chelsea and Crystal Palace , whilst Galatasaray also got the better of them in the Champions League .

Following three successive away fixtures across all competitions, they make their return to Anfield on Sunday, where they boast a perfect record from five matches this season. The standout moment from those triumphs was their 1-0 victory over Arsenal , courtesy of Dominik Szoboszlai 's dramatic late free kick.

United are still searching for their first away victory, having suffered defeats against Brentford and Manchester City , while drawing 1-1 with Fulham . They also suffered a penalty shootout defeat away to Grimsby Town in the League Cup second round.

Paul Merson has heaped the pressure on Liverpool, insisting that "this title race may even be over" if they fail to overcome United. He told Sportskeeda : "If Arsenal win on Saturday, this is a must-win game for them.

"I thought Liverpool fully deserved to get beaten by Crystal Palace and Galatasaray. They must get back on track now.

"All three Liverpool defeats have come away from home, and now they return to Anfield. We all know Liverpool are a different beast on home turf, and Manchester United haven't been great on their travels!"

Merson went on: "I have a feeling [Alexander] Isak will start this game because of the transfer fee. You just can't leave him out when you pay that kind of money, can you? If you pay over £100 million for players, they have to be in the line-up for the big games, and this is one of them."

Discussing Liverpool's £116m summer signing, Merson added: "I also think Florian Wirtz is a decent option for this game. Manchester United are not strong in midfield, and I wouldn't be surprised if Slot deploys Wirtz in that No. 10 role. I believe Wirtz can cause problems for United, too.

"I don't think Liverpool will lose at home; they will snap out of this run. Manchester United will be lucky if they can walk away with something from Anfield," Merson concluded, predicting a 2-0 home win.

View 2 Images

Chris Sutton echoed those thoughts to the BBC , though he was slightly more hopeful about United's chances. "This is a huge game for Arne Slot's side," he said.

"United can definitely hurt Liverpool on the break, and that is clearly the way they will set up at Anfield."

Sutton added" "There are definitely reasons for Manchester United to be optimistic here.

"Liverpool have issues defensively, and their weakness at full-back might suit United's tactics. I can see Bryan Mbeumo causing Arne Slot's side all sorts of problems.

"My head is telling me that Ruben Amorim's side will get something at Anfield, but I don't want to go for a draw, even though that's what I think will happen."

He concluded: "It is not in my nature to sit on the fence for a big game like this," predicting a 2-1 win for Liverpool.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.