Man Utd and Liverpool renew rivalries in the Premier League this Sunday, with both sides looking to secure Champions League qualification at Old Trafford.Â
It’s been a weird and winding season for both teams, but they have managed to recover from setbacks to put themselves third and fourth respectively in the table, with just three points separating them.
With so much changing at the two clubs, we thought it would be an interesting experiment to see which players would make a combined XI. Only players who are fit and available to play are up for consideration.
Man Utd vs Liverpool Combined XI:
GK: Senne Lammens – Man Utd
We’re making a big call right up top. Obviously, Alisson Becker has been one of, if not the best goalkeeper in the Premier League over the past decade. He has been exceptional between the sticks for Liverpool and continues to be when he’s fit.
The problem is, that is becoming rarer and rarer for the 33-year-old, who now spends a chunk of every season on the treatment table. He won’t even be available for this weekend. His understudy, Giorgi Mamardashvili, has been less than convincing when called upon and is also currently injured.
Senne Lammens, meanwhile, has been hugely impressive since joining United in the summer. Since his debut, only three teams have conceded fewer goals than the Red Devils (35) and he is yet to make an error leading to a goal. It looks like they have finally found a reliable shot stopper.
RB: Diogo Dalot – Man Utd
Trent Alexander-Arnold had this position locked down for the longest time, but now that he’s at Real Madrid, it’s up to Diogo Dalot to fill the void. The Portugal international has been very dependable for United this term, playing on both the right and left as a full-back and wing-back.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
It hasn’t been a vintage campaign from Virgil van Dijk, but then again that could be said for many of Liverpool’s stars. He remains one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and indeed the world.
CB: Harry Maguire – Man Utd
Injury has limited Harry Maguire to just 15 Premier League starts this season, but he has been sorely missed during those period when he’s been sidelined. His aerial presence in both boxes is massively important to United and could play a role in the outcome of this weekend’s encounter.
LB: Patrick Dorgu – Man Utd
This was the most awkward decision in the entire team; plenty of choices but none of them overly convincing. Milos Kerkez has been pretty poor, Andy Robertson has shown his age this season, and Luke Shaw has been solid without being spectacular.
Patrick Dorgu was excellent from late December into January, but he has missed the last three months through injury. He is available for selection, though, after being named on the bench against Brentford on Monday night.
The Denmark international is, in this writer’s opinion, the most exciting option at full-back and would offer this mash-up more attacking threat down the left. It appeared as if he was going to be a key part of Carrick’s setup when he first took charge, causing havoc as a wing-back. United have looked more primitive on offence in his absence, which is a big compliment to his game.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister – LiverpoolÂ
I don’t know if there’s any one thing that Alexis Mac Allister does at an elite level, but he’s very good at just about everything. He’s good in possession, he create chances, he scores the odd goal, and while his defensive game is not the greatest, he’s far from a liability in midfield.
CM: Casemiro – Man Utd
Rewind back to September 2024, the last time United hosted Liverpool at Old Trafford. They were totally demolished by Slot’s rampant Reds and Casemiro was the main culprit in a dreadful first half. He received a paltry 1/10 in our player ratings for that game. “He’s cooked” was this writer’s withering assessment.
Fast forward to the present day and there has been a complete turnaround in the Brazilian’s fortunes to the point where the fans are begging not to leave this summer. He’s been a rock in midfield and one of their biggest attacking threats, scoring nine league goals (eight of which have been headers).
Just look at Casemiro’s stats radar from Fotmob, highlighting his strengths when compared to other Premier League midfielders:
His Renaissance has been a joy to behold.
RW: Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool
We could have placed Dominik Szoboszlai in any number of positions in this lineup, he has been that versatile for Liverpool this season. Any time Slot has needed a solution, the Hungarian has been there to plug the gap and done so with gusto.
With Mo Salah out injured, Szoboszlai will possibly be called upon to do so again on the right wing. Bryan Mbeumo misses out after seeing his form drop off precipitously over the past two months.
CAM: Bruno Fernandes – Man Utd
The easiest decision in our Combined XI. Bruno Fernandes is simply the best no.10 in the Premier League right now, which makes one wonder why in the hell Ruben Amorim saw fit to play him in a deeper role.
With eight goals and 19 assists in the Premier League, the playmaker is close to matching his career best tally for goal involvements in a single season (30) and smash the record for most assists (20).
LW: Florian Wirtz – Liverpool
Fernandes’ presence means that Florian Wirtz has to be shunted out to the left wing, where he has operated a few times for Liverpool this year. The German has not yet hit the heights expected when he made his big money move from Leverkusen last summer, but he has not been nearly as poor as some bad faith actors try to claim.
CF: Benjamin Sesko – Man UtdÂ
Now this is a turn up for the books. If this game happened a month ago, Hugo Ekitike would have been a shoo-in, but a devastating injury has ruled him out for many months. Alexander Isak has missed most of the last five months with a broken leg and he wasn’t playing all that well before then anyway.
That leaves Benjamin Sesko as our starting striker. After struggling for form in the first half of the season, scoring just twice, the Slovenian has excelled in 2026. He’s found the net nine times since January, scoring a number of crucial goals to help United climb into the top four.
Read – Power Rankings: Man Utd upward, top two collide
See Also – Salah ’emotional’ reflecting on Liverpool ‘connection’
