Premier League: Manchester United v Liverpool match preview

A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at Old Trafford

Luis Suarez and Robin van Persie (GETTY IMAGES)

This fixture, between England’s two most successful club sides, never needs much to light the blue touch paper. For the likely spark – playing football that is outrageous in every sense of the word – one need look no further than Luis Suarez.

The Liverpool striker has scored 15 league goals this season, but has courted controversy throughout, the latest furore coming from Mansfield, where Suarez handled the ball before scoring Liverpool’s winning goal.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who has called Suarez’s refusal to shake Patrice Evra’s hand in this match last year “unfortunate”, will be hoping that his own goalscoring maestro, Robin van Persie, is the deciding factor in this match – the Dutchman scoring his 20th United goal at West Ham last week.

KICK-OFF: Sunday, 1.30pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS...

Liverpool 1 (Gerrard) Man Utd 2 (Rafael, van Persie), Premier League, September 2012

Man Utd 2 (Rooney 2) Liverpool 1 (Suarez), Premier League, February 2012

Liverpool 2 (Agger, Kuyt) Man Utd 1 (Park), FA Cup, January 2012

STATS..

United currently lead the head-to-head record between the sides, with 73 wins to Liverpool’s 62.

United have won eight of their last nine home games versus Liverpool.

United are unbeaten in their last 10 domestic matches, winning eight.

Liverpool are also in good form, winning seven of their last 10 matches.

ODDS...

Man Utd to win: 1.94

Liverpool to win: 4.3

Draw: 3.85

CLASSIC MATCH...

These two served up a cracker at Old Trafford in September 2010, United winning 3-2 courtesy of a Dimitar Berbatov hat-trick. The pick of those goals was his second, a technically-brilliant overhead kick. Steven Gerrard scored two to draw Liverpool level, only for the Bulgarian to win the game for the hosts with five minutes remaining.

TV: Live on Sky Sports 1 at 1.30pm, highlights on BBC1 at 10.25pm.