Manchester United to play against Burnley on 13th January just four days before crunch fixture against Liverpool

Manchester United to play against Burnley on 13th January just four days before crunch fixture against Liverpool
Manchester United sit at second place behind Liverpool with a game in hand and could use that to their advantage against leaders Liverpool

The Red Devils will travel to Turf Moor on the 13th of January to play their match in hand against Burnley. Provided the former win against Aston Villa in tonight’s late night fixture, they can have a three point lead going into the crunch match against Liverpool. It is reported that the players themselves wanted to play this fixture midweek in order to pile pressure on Liverpool.

Foregoing midweek rest in order to gain advantage

Manchester United were supposed to have a week’s rest after their match against Watford in the FA Cup before they took on Liverpool. It is reported that the players decided to forego their rest and play their match in hand against Burnley. This is a well thought out move provided Manchester United are able to win their matches against Aston Villa and Burnley.

If they can do so, it would mean that Manchester United will travel to Anfield to face Liverpool with a three point lead. This would obviously add pressure over Liverpool to defeat Manchester United and close the gap with them. As it can be evidenced, teams under pressure usually implode and make mistakes which can be exploited.

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However the question to be asked here is, is Liverpool the team you want to play mind games against? Should you play mind games against the team that played like maniacs against Barcelona when they were three goals down knowing that even one goal conceded would have been deadly? Should you play mind games against the team that played like there was nothing to lose against Atletico Madrid last season and lost only because of bad luck? Do you want to play mind games against the team that is still top of the Premier League despite having nearly 16 injuries in different occasions of the season?

That question will be answered on 17th January 2021 when Liverpool hosts Manchester United in a blockbuster clash that could very well decide the fate of the eventual Premier League champions at Anfield.

Also read: Jurgen Klopp needs to adapt to situations and bring changes to his midfield