Manchester United and Liverpool will begin their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with a pre-season friendly at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Thailand on Tuesday.
The Red Devils are building towards their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 7, while Liverpool will face Manchester City in the Community Shield at the end of the month.
Match preview
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Erik ten Hag will manage Man United for the first time on Tuesday, with the 20-time English champions beginning their pre-season with a glamour friendly against bitter rivals Liverpool; the club have six games in the diary before the start of their Premier League season against Brighton, and it will be fascinating to see how the Red Devils perform in 2022-23 under the leadership of the highly-rated Dutchman.
Man United ended last season without a trophy, and finished sixth in the Premier League table, so they will play in the Europa League this term, which is thought to be the main reason why Cristiano Ronaldo is so keen to depart; Ronaldo is not with the squad in Thailand due to a personal issue, but there is a chance that he could feature in the Australia leg of the tour.
The Red Devils will take on Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in their three matches after this one before returning to Europe to face Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in back-to-back days, with their opening league game of the 2022-23 campaign coming one week later.
The 20-time English champions continue to be linked with a number of players, but there has only been one signing thus far, with Tyrell Malacia arriving from Feyenoord; the Netherlands international could make his debut in this match and certainly looks to be a smart acquisition by the club.
Ten Hag has it all to do at Man United, with the club currently going through a very difficult period, but last season was so disappointing that surely there will be improvement this term, and with more new signings thought to be imminent, there are reasons to be positive despite their ongoing issues.
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Liverpool's 2021-22 campaign ended in disappointment, with the team finishing second behind Manchester City in the Premier League table and losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid, they did manage to win an FA Cup and EFL Cup double last term.
The Reds will again look to battle Man City at the top of the Premier League in the coming season, and head coach Jurgen Klopp will again be demanding the highest of standards from his players.
Sadio Mane, who has been so crucial to the team's success in recent years, has been allowed to join Bayern Munich, while Takumi Minamino, Marko Grujic, Divock Origi, Ben Woodburn, Sheyi Ojo and Loris Karius have also departed, but there have been three new signings at Anfield.
Talented teenagers Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsey have arrived from Fulham and Aberdeen respectively, while Darwin Nunez has been the statement signing from Benfica, and the 23-year-old will be looking to show what Man United are missing on Tuesday, with the striker set to play a part.
Liverpool will take on Crystal Palace, RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg in friendlies this summer before taking on Man City in the Community Shield on July 30; they will then face Strasbourg in their final pre-season match one day later before opening their Premier League season against Fulham on August 6
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Team News
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Man United have taken a 31-man squad to Thailand, with Ronaldo the notable absentee, but Malacia has been included, and the new signing is likely to play a part on Tuesday.
Anthony Martial will allegedly be given the chance to prove himself down the middle during pre-season, so the Frenchman could start in a front three with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Donny van de Beek - back at the club following a loan spell at Everton - could also be in from the start, while Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane are likely to feature in the middle of the defence.
A number of talented youngsters have made the trip to Thailand, including Alejandro Garnacho, Hannibal Mejbri and Facundo Pellistri, and Ten Hag could decide to select different XIs for each half of this contest.
As for Liverpool, Klopp has named a 37-man squad, so there will also be wholesale changes for the Reds during the course of this match and over the next few games.
Like Man United, the Reds are likely to start with an experienced side, with Mohamed Salah - fresh from signing a new contract at the club - potentially lining up alongside Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino in attack.
Nunez's debut could come from the bench, while a familiar midfield three of Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Naby Keita might take to the field for the first whistle.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be among those hoping to impress during pre-season, while youngsters Stefan Bajcetic, Isaac Mabaya, Bobby Clark, Tom Hill, James Norris, Melkamu Frauendorf and Tyler Morton could earn minutes during the match with Ten Hag's side.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Varane, Shaw; Van de Beek, Fernandes, Fred; Sancho, Martial, Rashford
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Thiago, Keita; Jota, Firmino, Salah
We say: Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool
In pre-season, results are rarely important, but both managers will be determined to win this game. Ten Hag will know the criticism that will be aimed at Man United if they were to suffer a heavy defeat, while a loss for Liverpool would be seen as a setback despite the nature of the contest. We can see a draw in Thailand, though, with both sides set to use a number of young players in what should be an entertaining game.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
