Manchester United v Liverpool Europa League Cup 17/03/2016

I can't remember the last time Liverpool travelled to “The Theatre Of Dreams” with so little trepidation.

United were awful in the first game and Paul Scholes' rounded on his old team in forthright terms.

No fight, no bite was the main thrust of his accusation and he has become a thorn in the side to manager Louis Van Gaal who must desperately be looking for something to spark a resurgence in form.

It doesn't look like coming though and the clock is surely ticking down on his tenure as manager because this United side is a pale imitation of what they should be. The sight of Sir Alex Ferguson shaking his head sadly when they played West Ham in a tepid 1-1 draw says it all really.

If Liverpool score once then United will need four goals to go through. The away goal rule means that extra time and penalties will not be a feature if that happens and only a 2-0 victory to United can make that scenario a reality.

United will have to put in a massively improved performance to get anywhere near the energy levels of the visitors and with Lallana, Firminho, Can and Lovren all playing their best football of the season it is going to be a major shock if they match the intensity that the visitors will bring.

That isn't just wishful thinking either because Liverpool have had a full week's preparation for this game after a postponed fixture at the weekend and United are severely hampered by injuries to key players.

I'm not going to hype up Liverpool's prospects. The betting says it all really – Man United are 8/5 across the board to win this game and that shows that confidence is deserting them in droves. Liverpool are 19/10 where you would normally expect them to be a 3-1 shot.

Liverpool won't wilt like they have been prone to do in fixtures past and a draw would be a good result.

To the betting:

The smart money would be on the draw with Liverpool improved defensively beyond all recognition over the past month or so. United winning 3-0 is 25/1, not beyond the realms of possibility but not with the players available.

Daniel Sturridge is 6/4 anytime goalscorer but being as he is likely to be substituted early in the second half Firminho at 7/4 looks a better bet.

The Bet - A Draw 9/4 £10 Returns £32.50 At Coral - Bet Now

Outsider - Liverpool To Win 2-0 12/1 £10 Returns £130 At Coral  - Bet Now

Longshot - United To Win 4-1 60/1 £10 Returns £610 At Coral - Bet Now

Sure Bet - Liverpool To Win Or Draw 1/2 Double Chance £10 Returns £15.00 At Coral  - Bet Now