English Premier League 2011/12 Statistics: Manchester United vs. Liverpool Preview

The match of the weekend... the two grand old ladies of English football square off against each other. Luis Suarez returns to face Patrice Evra... what more could one ask for?!

United will be buzzing with confidence at the moment. Their stirring comeback against Chelsea will still be replaying itself in the minds of all those involved and Sir Alex Ferguson will be eager to keep that drive going. If only because he will desperately want to put one over Kenny Dalglish and his boys. News that Ryan Giggs has agreed to a one-year contract extension will be another boost for the club; the veteran Welshman will now spend 23 seasons at Old Trafford, making him (if he isn't already) a legend of the European game. Sir Alex will be looking to the combination of experience and guile (Giggs, Rooney, Scholes, Ferdinand and Evra) to lead youth and speed (Valencia, Young and Welbeck) to take advantage of the hosts who are in not inconsiderable crisis.

The Luis Suarez saga doesn't seem to want to go away. The fiery Uruguayan, however, will be key (several times over) if the visitors want to take something away. Dalglish's season is rapidly coming undone... big money buys have been floundering (hint: Carroll, Carroll), racial controversies swirling around the club and a general imbalance and inconsistency to their team and results is not helping.