Premier League 2018-19: Are Manchester United the favorites in the match against Liverpool?

Manchester United vs Liverpool is easily one of the biggest rivalries in world football. The emotions, the passion and most importantly, the football on display in this match-up have always been simply scintillating.

Over the years, we have seen some brilliant battles between these eternal rivals. And it is unlikely to be any different on Sunday, when the two heavyweights clash in the Premier League.

Manchester United come into this match on the back of an away win against Chelsea in the FA Cup. Meanwhile, Liverpool drew their first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich.

Clearly, Manchester United are riding a huge wave of momentum at the moment, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be very confident of getting a positive result against their bitter rivals.

When Manchester United faced Liverpool in December, they were considerably lower on confidence than they are now. And believe me, confidence plays a huge part in football. They didn't have the self-belief in themselves that they could defeat Liverpool, and that clearly showed on the pitch.

But now, things have taken a sharp about-turn. This Manchester United team has recently beaten Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea, all away from home, and the confidence they would have got from those victories cannot be overstated.

Consider Victor Lindelof for example. The guy has started 11 matches under Solskjaer and completed 90 minutes in all 11 of them, something he could never do under Jose Mourinho. This signifies the trust that Solskjaer has in his players.

Also, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba are in the form of their lives as both of them are enjoying their respective best ever seasons. Meanwhile, Ander Herrera looks like a different player altogether. Right now, this Manchester United is one of the best teams in England, and they are playing with that old swagger that everyone knew the Red Devils for.

What Solskjaer has brought back at Old Trafford is optimism, belief and confidence. These are three factors that can help any football team succeed and Manchester United, for the first time this season, look a fearsome unit - which is the biggest compliment anyone can give to Solskjaer.

Manchester United need no more extra motivation for this match as Liverpool are closer than ever to winning the Premier League title. Not letting them win the title could serve as the force that Old Trafford need to push their side to victory against the Reds.