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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Dan Brown

Rio Ferdinand makes 'confident' admission ahead of Manchester United vs Liverpool FC

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has admitted he is 'confident' about the Reds' chances against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Erik ten Hag's side travel to Anfield looking to extend their lead over Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the Premier League table. The Reds, who won their first trophy since 2017 last weekend after defeating the Magpies at Wembley, have not lost in the top-flight since late January.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have endured a difficult season so far, with Jurgen Klopp's men facing a fight to finish inside the top four. Moreover, the Merseyside club also find themselves 5-2 down on aggregate in their Champions League Round of 16 tie with Real Madrid.

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United secured a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford both on the scoresheet in August. Despite this, it is Klopp's side who have won three of the last four matches between the two sides - meaning the Reds will be well aware of the difficult task in front of them.

However, former Reds centre-back Ferdinand has suggested that Ten Hag's side are 'on the up', while claiming that Liverpool have 'stagnated' after winning a host of trophies in recent years.

"This is the most confident I’ve been going into a Liverpool fixture for the last six or seven years," he said on BT Sport. "I think Man United are going like that [on the up] whereas Liverpool have stagnated, taken a couple of steps back.

"They’ve been on a formidable run in the last few years, but they aren’t the Liverpool team that we’ve seen in the last few years at the moment. What a time to go to Anfield. It’s the best place to win as a Man United player."

Ten Hag is likely to be boosted by the returns of Luke Shaw and Sancho for the clash with Liverpool, with the pair having missed the FA Cup win over West Ham in midweek.

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