IT’S only the third weekend of the new English Premier League (EPL) season, and the fixture gods are already serving up a mouthwatering treat as Manchester United take on Liverpool in the latest instalment of one of global football’s most heated rivalries.

These teams met just 6 weeks ago in Bangkok for a friendly match, with the Red Devils dominating from start to finish as they comfortably scored 4 goals without reply. On current form, however, there’s a greater chance of hell freezing over than Manchester United - now bottom of the table after 2 humiliating defeats - repeating that scoreline at Old Trafford on Monday night (Tuesday 3am kickoff, Singapore time).

Pundits will argue that the form book goes out the window whenever these behemoths of the English game meet on the football pitch. It promises to be quite a spectacle at the Theatre of Dreams, and here’s a closer look at how each team is shaping up ahead of the big showdown.

Devils in crisis

The good news for Manchester United fans - and there is precious little of that at the moment - is that with their team rooted firmly to the bottom of the EPL standings after suffering embarrassing losses in their opening 2 fixtures, the only way to go from here is up.

It’s been a chastening start to the new season for Erik ten Hag. The 52-year-old Dutchman began his tenure as the fifth Red Devils manager in 9 years with a warm reception by 73,000 spectators at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, but that welcome soon turned ice-cold as the stadium erupted in boos after a fearless Brighton won 2-1.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 2 pm

Lifestyle

Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.

Sign Up

Brentford produced one of their best performances in England’s top flight last Sunday when they beat United 4-0, a result that set off the alarm bells and illustrated the difficulty of ten Hag’s job as he tries to steady a fast-sinking ship.

The media circus surrounding wantaway striker Cristiano Ronaldo is an unnecessary distraction, while many others in the squad - the likes of captain Harry Maguire, midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho, and forward Marcus Rashford - are all playing well below their usual standards.

That said, perhaps the additional pressure on the players could well be the tonic to spur them to put on a good show against their bitter rivals. Even a draw would be seen as a huge improvement, given how abject Manchester United have been over the last fortnight.

Patchy start for the Reds Liverpool have not hit the high notes that they are used to, with just 2 points from their first 2 fixtures so far. Newly promoted Fulham gave the Reds a huge scare a fortnight ago (the game ended 2-2), while Crystal Palace showed little fear at Anfield on Tuesday as the Eagles more than matched their more established opponents in a 1-1 stalemate.

Jurgen Klopp’s players came within a whisker of winning the EPL title last season, and they are already 4 points behind the leaders Manchester City and can ill-afford any more slip-ups, even at this early stage of the campaign.

The German manager won’t have his strongest available team at his disposal for this crunch battle with Manchester United, with as many as 10 players either in the treatment room or serving suspensions.

He will definitely not have his star signing of the summer, the Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez, who begins a 3-game ban after he headbutted Palace’s Joachim Andersen. Fellow forward Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara are also still out of action due to injury, but there is a chance Roberto Firmino could return to the matchday squad.

Depleted as the Merseysiders may be, they remain the bookies’ overwhelming favourites to claim maximum points at Old Trafford. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 8 fixtures against Manchester United, winning 5 and drawing 3. What’s more, the last 3 meetings have seen Liverpool win by scorelines of 4-0, 5-0 and 4-2.

Anything but a victory against a toothless United side shorn of confidence would be another setback for Liverpool’s title-chasing ambitions.