Man Utd v Liverpool huge for Michael Carrick and Arne Slott – they can’t afford an embarrassment, says Gary Neville | football news

Manchester United’s clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Super Sunday has huge significance for opposition managers Michael Carrick and Arne Slott, according to Gary Neville.

Both teams are on course to finish in the top five this season and with Champions League qualification in sight, United sit three points ahead of their rivals, while the gap to sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion now stands at 11 and eight points respectively with just four games remaining.

However, while a place in Europe’s premier club competition next season now looks certain for both sides – in fact, United will secure their place with a win over their arch-rivals at the Theater of Dreams – Sunday’s meeting is still crucial to the two men in charge of each club.

After the win against Brentford Monday Night FootballUnited head coach Carrick has overseen nine wins in 13 games since taking over in January to end the campaign. Sky Sports The pundit claimed on the Gary Neville podcast that he is likely to become the club’s permanent manager next season.

Meanwhile, despite an underwhelming Premier League title defense with 10 defeats, Slott has managed to guide Liverpool to fourth in the table and now in sight of next season’s Champions League.

As a result, the Dutchman is now expected to continue as Liverpool’s head coach next season, Sky Sports News Understandably, according to Neville, it’s not a heavy defeat that people can take this weekend.

I don’t think either of them will be embarrassed on Sunday. A win for both would be huge.

“First and foremost it’s a massive game for the fans,” the former United captain said on the Gary Neville podcast.

“Manchester United and Liverpool, great rivalry. But I think it’s massive for both managers. I think it’s massive for Michael Carrick and massive for Arne Slott.

“I don’t think either of them can afford the embarrassment on Sunday. A win for both would be huge. It would give them both confidence.

“Question marks over whether both will be at their clubs at the start of next season – is Michael going to get the job? Will Arne Slott be on? These questions continue to loom for the Liverpool manager.

“What’s at stake in terms of the game itself, I don’t really think it matters to either team. I think they’ll both be in the Champions League.

“But for both managers, I think it’s a serious game, a serious game basically to see themselves against a big rival for next season, a big rival in terms of United and Liverpool in general.

“The Michael Carrick and Arne Slott faceoff is the big thing on Sunday. I think it’s a big game for both managers in terms of what’s actually at stake in terms of league position.”

For the game, Neville predicts a groove at Old Trafford.

“If (Matthews) Cunha is fit, I think he will go with Cunha, (Bryan) Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes and (Benjamin) Cesko,” he added.

“I think he’ll probably go for four. I’m not sure if Amad (Diallo) will play.

“But I think you’ll see more alert, and you’ll certainly see a tighter, more compact, more defensively focused Manchester United than you saw in the first half tonight (against Brentford).

“I don’t think he’ll start the back five. I don’t think he’ll go that far, it would be wrong and he won’t do it. Let’s be clear, he absolutely won’t.

“But I think he will definitely turn them on a lot more defensively and say you have to be a lot more compact and tight. And that will be about not making mistakes, not conceding goals. Let’s go and make Liverpool nervous.

“And Liverpool basically won’t want to open either, so it could be a game of chess on Sunday.

“Not as much as it was in the second half (against Brentford), but I think it can be a bit more challenging, like a battle of the games, where both managers will be careful enough in terms of the teams they pick, but in the way they instruct them to go out there and be strong defensively.

And with both sides now seemingly set for a top-five finish this season, Neville reckons a win this weekend would be huge vindication for any manager looking ahead to the following campaign.

“To be honest, I think Liverpool and Manchester United are up there,” he said. “I think it will be a huge blow (if they miss out on Champions League qualification).

“United are there for me. Liverpool, I’m 95 to 99 per cent sure they’ll be in the Champions League as well.

Carrick and Slott face off on Sunday’s big issue – it feels very important for both coaches

“Look, they don’t think that, the manager or the players don’t think that, they think they have to do the job, but for me now, I don’t see other teams winning the games they have to win, and Liverpool dropping all the points they have to drop.

“It’s just a case of, is it a message going into next season, is it a message about where each club is at? It’s been a strange last couple of months for Liverpool, hasn’t it, in terms of where they are?

“So, if Arne Slott can come here and win, it will be big for him, it will be huge for him. If Michael Carrick can go and beat Arne Slott and see Liverpool here, that will be massive.

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“The games are never about the managers, of course not them, they are about the players, they are about the fans, about the rivalry, but it feels very important for both coaches and I am looking forward to it.

“I wish there was more to the game, I wish it was a title decider, I wish it was all these other things, that there was some danger involved, but I don’t think there will be.”