Carrick, Bruno and a top-five spot at Old Trafford as United host Liverpool
Manchester United host Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon with a top-five finish at stake, Bruno Fernandes one assist short of an English top-flight record, and Michael Carrick chasing the result that would all but confirm a Champions League return for a club that started the year sacking its manager.
Where the table sits
Carrick's United arrive in third on 61 points, three clear of fourth-placed Liverpool with three games to play. Two more points across the run-in are enough to lock down a top-five finish and a place among Europe's elite next season. Drop this one and Liverpool draw level on points and slide above United on goal difference. Win it and the maths becomes formality.
The interim manager has been in the job since January, when Ruben Amorim was relieved of his duties after a turbulent autumn. The Old Trafford hierarchy is still working on a permanent appointment for the 2026-27 season, and a fifth-place finish on Carrick's watch would noticeably change the room he hands over.
Bruno chases Henry and De Bruyne
Bruno Fernandes goes into the weekend one assist short of the single-season Premier League record of twenty, shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Carrick has already lobbied for the United captain to be voted Player of the Year, pointing to the way Fernandes has carried the side through a season that included a managerial change. Whether Bruno gets the honour is for the writers and players to decide, but a Liverpool assist in front of the Stretford End would be the kind of signature moment a campaign like this asks for.
United's other team news is mixed. Lisandro Martinez serves the third game of his suspension for the red card against Leeds. Matthijs de Ligt remains out with a back problem. Matheus Cunha has done some training and Carrick described him as hopeful but not certain. Patrick Dorgu is back in the squad after picking up an injury during United's 3-2 win at Arsenal in January.
Liverpool without Salah
Arne Slot brings Liverpool to Manchester on the back of three straight league wins but without his most reliable goalscorer. Mohamed Salah pulled up at Anfield against Crystal Palace and is not in contention for Sunday, though Slot insists he will be back before the season finishes. Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo are all longer-term absences. Alisson had still not returned to training as of Friday, leaving Freddie Woodman in line to keep the gloves for a second consecutive league game.
Liverpool also bring history with them. Harry Maguire's eighty-fourth-minute header settled October's reverse fixture at Anfield, after Bryan Mbeumo had put United in front inside two minutes and Cody Gakpo had pulled Liverpool level with twelve minutes left. Slot has not mentioned that result publicly, but his side know what the day means. Old Trafford on Super Sunday with a Champions League place dangling over the table is the kind of fixture nobody at either club needs talking up.
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