Liverpool vs Manchester United - 3 key battles | Premier League 2019-20

#3 Marcus Rashford vs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez

Marcus Rashford has been Manchester United's hero this season

There were doubts regarding his inconsistency and poor decision-making at the beginning of this season, but Marcus Rashford's goalscoring form has shut down all of his detractors. With 14 goals and 4 assists in 22 Premier League appearances so far this campaign, Rashford has been Manchester United's best player over the past few months and he will have to play a big role this weekend if his team are to cause an upset.

The striker picked up an unfortunate back injury in the midweek against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup, but the manager hopes he should be fit for this North-West derby. Rashford has a good record against Liverpool in the Premier League, as he has previously scored a brace against them and he also found the back of the net at Old Trafford earlier this season when the Reds were held by the Red Devils.

Of course, even if Rashford starts, he will be going up against one of the best defences in Europe. The centre-back partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have not conceded a goal in the past six league games, and the Liverpool defence as a whole is back to its best. However, the Reds were almost caught out against Spurs last weekend as the Son Heung-Ming and Giovani Lo Celso could have scored if not for some woeful finishing. The opportunistic Rashford will be relishing a challenge against Van Dijk and Gomez this weekend, and this battle will be key if the visitors are to get anything from this game.