Rúben Amorim has opened up on his starting XI selections as Manchester United prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
With the October 2025 international break now behind them, Manchester United are preparing to return to Premier League action with a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
Ruben Amorim’s men sit 10th in the table after winning three of their opening seven matches, but there’s a renewed sense of optimism ahead of the weekend, helped in part by Liverpool’s recent dip under Arne Slot.
After opening the campaign with five straight league wins, Slot’s side have since suffered three consecutive defeats across all competitions against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, and Chelsea. Both domestic losses came from late goals, while their European defeat in Istanbul was a narrow 1-0 setback.
United, meanwhile, approach the fixture buoyed by a comfortable 2-0 victory over Sunderland, and Amorim will be hoping a positive result at Anfield can serve as the spark for a consistent run of form.
Amorim explains two United XI changes
Rúben Amorim chose to make two changes to the side that defeated Sunderland two weeks ago, with Matheus Cunha and Harry Maguire coming in for Benjamin Šeško and Leny Yoro.
Šeško has scored in his last two appearances for United, and while many thought the head coach would make use of the Slovenian’s height and physical attributes at Anfield, Amorim has instead opted to start Cunha up front.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the fixture, Amorim said his defensive change was due to Liverpool’s crossing, while he feels Cunha could make Liverpool’s defenders more uneasy.
“I don’t want to say a lot before the game,” Amorim started. “Harry Maguire has a lot of experience. They have a lot of crosses also. [Maguire] gives [us] more power in set-pieces also. That is really important nowadays in [the] Premier League.
“And Cunha returning to the team – I think he’s one player [who] has one characteristic that can help us to push the team forward. I think [Ibrahim] Konate and [Virgil] van Dijk likes the confrontation in the air. So we’ll try to give them different things to try to win the game.”
United’s bench may become pivotal vs Liverpool
United have not won a game at Anfield in nine years. Even though Liverpool are the current champions, this feels like a great opportunity to end that streak.
Slot’s side have shown major vulnerability at the back so far this term, and United’s attackers are all at their best when transitioning quickly, which may explain why Cunha is preferred over Šeško, as the Brazilian’s unpredictability is known to be a standout trait.
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Bryan Mbeumo could also be a key man for Amorim’s side, with the Cameroonian being the kind of player who can make the right decision in those key moments, whether that be a shot or pass.
No matter what, United simply need to make sure they are still in the game in the latter stages when players off the bench can potentially make an impact.
Too often in previous outings against Liverpool, the game had already been lost by that stage, and it cannot happen again.
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