"I'm pretty confident" - Jamie Carragher makes prediction for Liverpool vs Manchester United PL fixture

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is bullish about the Reds' chances of beating Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday (December 17).

Jurgen Klopp's side are coming off a 2-1 midweek UEFA Europa League defeat at USG but are in sublime form in the league. With 11 wins in their 16 games - including their last three - the Reds are atop the pile, a point clear of second-placed Arsenal (36).

Meanwhile, United are coming off successive losses. They followed up their 3-0 Premier League home defeat to Bournemouth last weekend with a midweek 1-0 home loss to group winners Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. That condemned Erik ten Hag's side to a fourth-place finish, meaning no European football after Christmas.

Considering the contrasting recent fortues of both clubs, Reds legend Carragher foresees a win for his side at the weekend. In a Sky Sports discussion with United legend Gary Neville, 'Carra' said:

"There have been shocks in the past when we used to play against you. ... I'm pretty confident Liverpool will win (at the weekend), which, I think, most people are."

Manchester United have had a whopping 12 losses across competitions this season, including seven in the league, where they're sixth with 27 points.

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"The 7-0 was a freakish result" - Liverpool boss on resounding win over Manchester United last season

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool produced a win for the ages when they last played Manchester United at home in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's men ran out 7-0 victors in May this year, with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah bagging braces.

However, the German is wise enough to know that past results count for little; it's the performance on the day that matters. Klopp reckons the 7-0 was a 'freakish' result. He said in his pre-game press conference (as per Reds' website) that it could benefit Manchester United more than his team:

“The 7-0 we knew on the day was a freakish result that happens once in life pretty much. And if it helps anybody for the next game, it’s the team who lost 7-0 and not the team who won 7-0; that’s another thing.

"If you take it all out of consideration, then we just play a football game against the rival, the historical rival, of Liverpool FC, at home at Anfield.

The Reds' only league loss this season was a 2-1 reverse at Tottenham Hotspur in September. Since then, they have gone unbeaten in nine games, winning six.