Manchester United will switch their focus back to the bread and butter of the Premier League when they travel to Anfield to face arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
United, who are currently third in the standings, booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Wednesday evening with a 3-1 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford. That marked a third successive cup outing for the Reds, following meetings with Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final and Barcelona in the Europa League.
Though the Reds won all of the three aforementioned cup fixtures, they will no doubt be keen to get back to the main challenge of trying to secure a top-four finish and a route back into the Champions League for next season. They have not played a league fixture since beating Leicester City 3-0 on February 19.
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While United's Premier League schedule has been on pause, most of those in and around them in the table have been continuing to navigate their way through their respective fixture lists, meaning there has been a degree of movement in the standings recently.
Ahead of United resuming their league campaign on Sunday, MEN Sport has taken a close look at their next six league fixtures and compared them with those of the clubs they are currently fighting tooth and nail with in the table.
Manchester United - 3rd (49pts)
- Liverpool (A) - March 5
- Southampton (H) - March 12
- Newcastle United (A) - April 2
- Brentford (H) - April 5
- Everton (H) - April 8
- Nottingham Forest (A) - April 15
Verdict: After the best part of a fortnight without a Premier League fixture, it is easy to forget that United will travel to Anfield going in search of a third successive league win. On paper, it is the most daunting of their next six league games, with the home clashes with Southampton, Brentford and Everton all looking like good opportunities to get three points on the board.
The trip to Newcastle at the start of April, however, could be pivotal for both sides. United have failed to win each of their last two league meetings with the Magpies.
Arsenal - 1st (60pts)
- Bournemouth (H) - March 4
- Fulham (A) - March 12
- Crystal Palace (H) - March 19
- Leeds United (H) - April 1
- Liverpool (A) - April 9
- West Ham United (A) - April 16
Manchester City - 2nd (55pts)
- Newcastle United (H) - March 4
- Crystal Palace (A) - March 11
- Liverpool (H) - April 1
- Southampton (A) - April 9
- Leicester City (H) - April 16
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A) - April 23
Tottenham Hotspur - 4th (45pts)
- Wolves (A) - March 4
- Nottingham Forest (H) - March 11
- Southampton (A) - March 18
- Everton (A) - April 3
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H) - April 8
- Bournemouth (H) - April 15
Newcastle United - 5th (41pts)
- Manchester City (A) - March 4
- Wolves (H) - March 12
- Nottingham Forest (A) - March 17
- Manchester United (H) - April 2
- West Ham United (A) - April 5
- Brentford (A) - April 8
Liverpool - 6th (39pts)
- Manchester United (H) - March 5
- Bournemouth (A) - March 11
- Manchester City (A) - April 1
- Chelsea (A) - April 4
- Arsenal (H) - April 9
- Leeds United (A) - April 17
*All fixtures are subject to change.
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