Manchester United vs Liverpool, Premier League Matchweek 35 2026 - Expert Prediction

Manchester United

VS

Liverpool

Liverpool arrive at Old Trafford on Sunday stripped of their two leading scorers and carrying the worst away record in the top four. Manchester United, on a W10 D3 L3 home run with a point to prove in this top-four collision, are the pick at 2.47 with 1xBet.

Kickoff: Sunday 3 May 2026, 15:30 BST (16:30 WAT) at Old Trafford

Three clubs locked on 58 points. United sitting third, Liverpool fourth, Aston Villa fifth. The mathematics are straightforward: a United win opens a three-point gap over Liverpool with a game in hand still in hand. For Liverpool, defeat likely ends any realistic hope of finishing above United. Slot's side have everything to play for and nothing in their squad to play it with at Old Trafford.

Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool's top scorer with 11 Premier League goals, ruptured his Achilles against PSG on April 14 and is done until January 2027. Mohamed Salah, off the pitch after 60 minutes against Crystal Palace on April 25 with a hamstring injury, is almost certain to miss this fixture. Liverpool travel to the most hostile venue in English football with Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Dominik Szoboszlai as their attacking core. That is a workable attack, not a match-winning one at Old Trafford, not with United in this shape.

Amorim's rebuild is delivering. Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko share the top-scorer chart at 9 goals apiece. Bruno Fernandes has 8 goals and 16 assists, the latter figure threatening the Premier League single-season record of 20. Matheus Cunha, 7 goals, praised by Amorim specifically for his big-game mentality, adds another dimension off the left. United's home xG this season is 2.00 per game; their xGA at Old Trafford is just 1.23. Liverpool's attack, even at full strength, would face a structured defensive system. Depleted as they are, the numbers point to United controlling this match.

The goals will come. Over 2.5 has landed in 9 of the last 10 Premier League meetings between these clubs, at a fixture average of 3.4 goals per game. United's home Premier League matches have averaged 3.13 total goals this season. Liverpool's xG profile, even without Salah and Ekitike, still generates chances through Wirtz and Gakpo. This is not a match that ends 1-0. 1xBet have Manchester United to Win at 2.47 and Over 2.5 Goals at 1.48. Take Manchester United to Win and Over 2.5 Goals. Bruno Fernandes anytime scorer and Cody Gakpo anytime scorer are the top player props.

Head to Head

In 67 Premier League meetings all time, United lead 30-17 on wins with 20 draws. The last 10 Premier League fixtures between the clubs have averaged 3.4 goals per game, with 9 of those 10 going Over 2.5. United won the reverse fixture this season 2-1 at Anfield, Mbeumo striking in the second minute, Maguire heading home from a set-piece late, with Liverpool only managing a Gakpo equaliser before Maguire's winner. At Old Trafford, the last five Premier League visits read: Liverpool W3, D1, L1, but that context matters less when Liverpool's squad has been rebuilt around the players who won those games, most of whom are no longer there.

Manchester United Form Analysis

United's form across the last five confirmed results reads W-L-D-W-L. The headline result is the 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on April 18, Cunha the match-winner, ground out through the kind of defensive organisation Amorim demands. Before that, a 1-2 home loss to Leeds on April 13 was the sore point, though the Brentford fixture on April 27, the result of which was pending at research date, completes the picture before Sunday.

The season-long home record is the more relevant data set: W10 D3 L3 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. United do not concede cheaply at home, their xGA of 1.23 at Old Trafford is the mark of a side that makes opponents work for chances. Lisandro Martinez is suspended for three matches for his red card, which pushes Ayden Heaven into the CB role alongside Maguire, but the defensive structure under Amorim does not depend on individual personnel to the same degree it did under previous regimes. Heaven stepped in earlier this season without disaster.

Fernandes is the axis. Eighteen assists and 8 goals from the captain, he runs the set-pieces, he takes the penalties, and he operates in the pocket between Liverpool's midfield and defence where the damage gets done. With De Ligt out and Martinez suspended, United's defensive frailties exist on the right side of this match too, which is why Over 2.5 goals is not a difficult argument to make. United will score. The question is whether Liverpool can match them.

Liverpool Form Analysis

Liverpool's last five Premier League results read W-W-W-L-L. The three wins, 3-1 vs Crystal Palace, 2-1 at Everton, 2-0 vs Fulham, arrived in sequence, but the Palace win on April 25 was the one that did the most damage to Sunday's prospects. Salah came off at around 60 minutes with a hamstring problem. Egyptian FA sources suggest a recovery of around four weeks. Slot told reporters after the match: "My honest answer is yes [he may have played his final game], the way he came off." That is not the framing of a medical team expecting a fast return.

Liverpool's away record in the Premier League is W7 D3 L7, only 7 wins from 17 matches on the road. Their goals-for average away from home is 1.59 per game; goals-against is 1.53. They are not a dominant travelling team in this division, and the two losses in that run, 1-2 at Brighton on March 21, 1-2 at Wolves on March 4, came against sides with far less attacking firepower than United carry. Wirtz scored a 90th-minute goal against Palace and is the creative outlet Slot will lean on. Gakpo, with 5 Premier League goals and 3 assists, now carries the burden of Liverpool's attack in the absence of Ekitike and Salah. He is good enough to score at Old Trafford, which is why he sits among the player props, but not good enough to single-handedly win the match.

Manchester United vs Liverpool Team News

Manchester United Team News: Lisandro Martinez serves a three-match ban; Matthijs de Ligt remains a season doubt with a lower back injury; Ayden Heaven partners Maguire at centre-back; Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo are available after returning from their respective absences; Leny Yoro is a fitness doubt; Patrick Dorgu may be available off the bench if he came through the Brentford fixture.

Liverpool Team News: Hugo Ekitike is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles; Mohamed Salah is almost certain to miss with a hamstring injury sustained against Crystal Palace; Conor Bradley is out for the season with a knee injury; Giorgi Mamardashvili is out; Alisson Becker is expected to return in goal after resuming training from his hamstring injury; Wataru Endo remains unavailable.

Other Matchweek 35 tips

Cross-check our calls for the rest of the EPL Matchweek 35 slate:

• Leeds United vs Burnley
• Brentford vs West Ham
• Newcastle vs Brighton
• Wolves vs Sunderland
• Arsenal vs Fulham
• Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace
• Aston Villa vs Tottenham
• Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest
• Everton vs Manchester City

More to know

• Liverpool's away record in the Premier League this season is a weak W7 D3 L7, only 7 road wins from 17 matches, while United won at Anfield 2-1 in October through two set-piece goals.
• United's set-piece delivery is a documented weapon: Maguire and Casemiro provide aerial threat, and Slot admitted after the Anfield reverse that Liverpool's negative set-piece balance cost them the game.

Verdict

Manchester United are the pick at 2.47 with 1xBet. Liverpool travel to Old Trafford without Ekitike, done for the season, and Salah, almost certainly ruled out with a hamstring injury, and their away record of W7 D3 L7 in the Premier League does not inspire confidence against a United side running W10 D3 L3 at home. Over 2.5 Goals at 1.48 is the secondary play, backed by 9 of the last 10 meetings between these clubs clearing that line. Bruno Fernandes anytime scorer and Cody Gakpo anytime scorer are the top player props.

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