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Rob (our Liverpool fan contributor):

My ‘Pool wish list for last season:

A winning mentality. Tick.

A determination to improve. Tick.

To defeat Utd.  Negative.

Wish list for this season:

To compete for a Champions League place.

To be exciting to watch.

To defeat Utd.

 I have watched two Utd friendlies plus the opening Premier League match and whilst they weren’t awe inspiring they were functional and, where it counts, deadly as ever. I fully expect to see more of that.

Liverpool have been good to watch and showed a surprising adaptability to a different set of tactics; shutting up shop for the second half against Villa. We can’t do that against you – beating teams that sit back is your speciality (apart from the Special occasion on Mon). However, your (and especially Moyes’) desire to win will leave you open to a Sturridge hat-trick and a <insert Toure ‘s replacement here> bullet header.

Prediction: 4-3 thriller. Dry those eyes Man U fans.

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Josh (@TweetsofARed):

It’s that time of the week again, match preview time!!!

For those of you who don’t know who Manchester United are, they’re this big football club and they’re playing a team called Liverpool on Sunday, it’s quite a big deal.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool, I’ll provide a simple summary. Liverpool used to be good, now we’re better. They don’t like the fact we’re better, and we don’t like the fact they used to be better. Also, recently their charismatic talisman, Luis Suarez, said some naughty things to our lovely little Patrice Evra and that made us all very angry. So naturally, everybody gets pretty excited about the fixture and it’s usually a pretty heated affair.

With Rooney starting against Chelsea and looking rather brilliant, I imagine he’ll start against Liverpool. Along with RvP, Carrick, Evra, Fellaini etc etc. With Welbeck in great form, I expect to see him on the wing, with Valencia or Kagawa occupying the other flank. De Gea in goal, obviously. I’m not too fussed how Liverpool line up, because we’re better than them regardless of their formation and team. Their loveable front man, Luis Suarez usually proves to be something of a thorn in the side (Or a bite in the arm, am I right lads?!) for opposing teams, but luckily he’s still suspended for being a very naughty boy.

With Robin van Persie upfront and Wayne Rooney behind him, you’re almost guaranteed goals. RvP scores when he wants and Rooney is the white Pele. So it’s safe to assume at least one of them will bag a goal or two. As long as United’s defence do their job and stop the few tricky customers Liverpool have, such as Coutinho and Gerrard, United should emerge from Old Trafford victorious.

PREDICTIONS: Evra plays the whole game wearing a false set of teeth. Wayne Rooney scores a bicycle kick and runs to Moyes for a little cuddle. Robin van Persie scores, whenever he feels like it.

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Brett:

I think if Cal can stay on his bike and resist riding the wheels off it in front of his home crowd, then I can see him getting on the podium. His record at Silverstone is good, but he’ll have to be on the limit and take a few risks – a recipe for him binning it.

The season so far has cemented the three Spaniards into a mini-league of their own; even then, Dani and Jorge are no match for Marquez. But enough about them … the only thing – Cal aside – I’m interested in is Valentino. One of my proper sporting heroes. I’m gonna hug him so hard. WHAAAAT?! I’m going to the Moto GP!

Okay … seriously now, well y’know…

I’d be very surprised if Moyes made any changes to the line up that faced Chelsea in the 0-0 draw last Monday – I wouldn’t really be all that surprised, it’s just opening with stuff like that makes me sound like a proper blogger.

Rooney, IF still with us and not ‘carrying a slight knock’ in a blacked out people  carrier down to London, I imagine’ll start – what with having that knack of scoring past his own kind. David, the silent Bifurcator, reckons he was very good against Chelsea (I didn’t watch that either; it’s a very glamorous reason as to why, but I wouldn’t want to bore you with showing off about that…), committed and that. I’m still not convinced. (<—- more blogging gold)

I think the rest of the team picks itself, they really oughta leave it up Moyes though (player power, hey?). As I’ve said previously, I’m going to wait a bit and see how Moyes adapts tactics and formations and that before projecting comment here. I have, however, dusted off the football calculator this week: The win at Swansea and the draw against Chelsea, compared with Fergie’s record last year (a draw at Swansea and loss to Chelsea), by my calculation is a 64% increase in resultiness. So, if we superimpose this over the 1-2 victory at Anfield last season, we should expect nothing less than a 1-5 win.

As for them: Coutinho or Liverpool as I like to call him, is one of them isn’t he (In brackets so no-one can hear: first player of theirs, since Gerrard in his prime, that I’ve been proper envious of). I guess it’s true what they say about diamonds (I don’t know what they say, but it’s bound to be true).

Elsewhere, the new players (?) mixed with all our lol’d favourites have got them off to a solid start. Getting Lucas back has added a bit more to their midfield. A Suarezless Liverpool, though, is a toothless beast (am I right lads?!), but Sturridge is certainly proving no mug (in footballing terms). I always thought Daniel Sturridge was going to turn into a decent player, but that his own opinion of himself might nauseate me that little bit too much for me to invest any time in him as a concept – and here we are.

They’ll give us a game, but the calculator has spoken.

Prediction: 1-5! Welbeck with his customary two. RvP with an average 20-yarder. Carrick, why not. And Evra to score on his football birthday – the day we all love him that little bit more than we already do. Rooney to kiss all the goalscorers badges for them.