An Anfield legend is not expecting the Red Devils to head to Merseyside on Sunday looking to play an expansive game against the Premier League leaders

Manchester United will look to “stifle” Liverpool again on Sunday, says John Barnes, with Jose Mourinho aware that he cannot engage in an attacking battle with Jurgen Klopp.

The Red Devils have history under their Portuguese boss of adopting a defensive mindset during trips to Anfield.

They are expected to favour a similar approach on their latest visit to Merseyside, with Mourinho unable to match the creative flair boasted by old adversaries.

Barnes still believes that Premier League leaders Liverpool are capable of stretching their unbeaten run and claiming another positive result, but concedes it will be tough against dogged opponents.

The Reds legend told Sky Sports: “This is the most confident I have seen Liverpool and the most faith I have had in Liverpool in terms of getting results regardless of whether they play well or not.

“However in a game like this, Liverpool against Manchester United is very much like the Liverpool-Everton games, form goes out of the window.

“It’s a complete one-off. It probably means more to Mourinho to put one over Liverpool than the other way round so those tables have been turned.

“While I see Liverpool as being very confident, not just in the way they are playing but the confidence we have in them in not conceding goals and being very consistent in and out of possession, Jose Mourinho and Manchester United will be a very difficult proposition.

“It’s going to be a very difficult game for Liverpool but also for Manchester United and I think it’s going to be very dependent on how Manchester United approach the game.

“If they come, I don’t think they will, and play an open game with players going forward end to end I think Liverpool will win comfortably.

“But Manchester United will try to stifle the game and then it’s going to be difficult for Liverpool.”

Mourinho has never shied away from “parking the bus” during testing away dates, and Barnes expects more of the same from a United side that has gone eight league games without defeat against Liverpool.

He added: “Whatever terminology you want to use in terms of parking the bus. They will come and I am sure Liverpool will have more possession.

“I am sure Manchester United will defend deep and get five midfield players back in front of them and try to catch Liverpool on the counter-attack.

“I think they will play an attacking line-up in terms of Rashford and Lingard and maybe Martial but the onus will be on them to get back and defend and maybe when they have possession to use their pace to counter-attack.

“This is what Manchester United have done, not just against Liverpool but in many games, and I don’t see why it is going to be any different.

“If I was Jose Mourinho against Liverpool I would do the exact same thing.”

The manager is wary of asking too much, too soon of the Frenchman following his long-awaited return from injury

Arsenal’s paucity of defensive options may not be enough to tempt Unai Emery into risking the fit-again Laurent Koscielny in Sunday’s clash with Southampton.

The 33-year-old centre-back made his first appearance since rupturing an Achilles tendon in May as the Gunners beat Qarabag 1-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.

Koscielny, who said his season began in earnest on Thursday, completed 72 minutes at Emirates Stadium and would be a valuable inclusion in the weakened squad that will venture to St Mary’s.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi are suspended, Rob Holding has been lost to a season-ending knee injury and Konstantinos Mavropanos has not featured at all this term.

“Today is another step for [Koscielny],” Emery told reporters.

“We need to [find out] tomorrow and Saturday how he is going to feel after this match to see if he can help us on the pitch on Sunday.

“It is good he has recovered and in a good time. Every supporter and player from Arsenal is happy.

“He can take confidence again, take rhythm and then we are going to continue our process. Maybe [he can play] Sunday, but I want to wait to see how he will feel.”

Arsenal’s victory over Qarabag rounded out their successful Group E campaign on a high note as Emery remains in the hunt for a fourth Europa League crown.

The Spaniard handed teenage midfielder Bukayo Saka a first professional start in the straightforward win and was impressed with what he saw.

“We give young players the chance to train with us, we give chances like today when we can and they show us positive things,” the Gunners boss said.

“Saka played with a good performance, with big personality. His personality is very important, [he tries] to take players on and break lines.”

The Red Devils suffered a 3-1 defeat at Anfield in their latest Premier League outing, with that result doing little to lift the mood at Old Trafford

Ashley Young concedes that Manchester United have been left feeling disappointed and deflated after suffering a 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool.

The Red Devils headed to Anfield on Sunday seeking a spark to ignite a frustrating 2018-19 campaign.

Jose Mourinho’s side were, however, to hit a new low as they offered little attacking threat during a game which saw Liverpool edge out their old adversaries for the first time in eight meetings.

United never really got going on Merseyside, as they found themselves on the backfoot for long periods, and are now 11 points adrift of the top four and in serious danger of missing out on a Champions League spot.

Young admits the mood around the Red Devils camp is not great, telling MUTV on the back of another humbling reversal: “It’s disappointing. I don’t think there’s much more we can say.

“Obviously there’s two deflections but at times when we got back into the game at 1-1, I think we could have gone on to win the game.

“But it wasn’t meant to be and, like I say, it’s disappointing.”

United fell behind at Anfield to a Sadio Mane strike, before Jesse Lingard was gifted a leveller by Alisson.

They hung on until 17 minutes from time when Xherdan Shaqiri grabbed the first of a dramatic brace, with both of his efforts flicking in off United defenders.

“It is always disappointing to obviously concede,” added Young.

“I think we were containing them. There was a lot of pressure obviously in the second half, which we knew [would come].

“I didn’t think they were going to score, then obviously the two deflected goals, you know, it deflates us and obviously they go on to win the game.

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“Like I say, it’s definitely a disappointment.”

Young feels United had fared okay until a late rally from the hosts, saying: “Yeah, especially in the first half.

“Obviously after their goal we got ourselves back into the game and I think for large parts we had time and space on the ball to play.

“I think at times we done that, I think we could have done that even more. But, like I say, we’ve come off the pitch, we’ve lost the game, so we’re disappointed.”

The England international has seen more minutes under Maurizio Sarri of late and a Blues legend is looking for him to remain at Stamford Bridge

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has no need to leave Chelsea, says Dennis Wise, with a loan switch no longer making sense for a man who has played his way into favour under Maurizio Sarri.

Early in the season, as the 22-year-old struggled for game time, it was expected that a move would be made in January.

Various landing spots were mooted for the England international, with a second stint at Crystal Palace considered to be one possibility.

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Wise has, however, questioned why Loftus-Cheek would want such a switch, with a run of form since late October having delivered outings in the Premier League, Europa League and six goals.

Quizzed by the Evening Standard on whether the highly-rated midfielder should look for a loan, a Blues legend said: “No, I don’t think he should. 

“He [Sarri] has played him a number of times. He’s got competition for places but why would Loftus-Cheek want to go on loan? 

“I’ll pick Crystal Palace just because he went there on loan. Why would you want to go there on loan, to a team where you’ll play a lot of games but you’ll be in a battle down the bottom when you can play in a team full of top international players, fighting to win trophies and trying to get in the Champions League? 

“I think he’s improved so much. This is a process for him and I think it’s important he stays at Chelsea and he fights.

“He’s very close to being one of the players who could take one of those shirts and stay in there and he has to carry that on until the end of the season. 

“He’s got the opportunity to do it now that he’s thought of in a different way than when he went out on loan.

“Maurizio said it: he won’t go out on loan. He’s stepped up to another level. He will be the one fighting for that offensive spot.”

Loftus-Cheek has made 11 appearances for Chelsea this season, but only one of those has come as a starter in Premier League competition.

He may get another opportunity to impress on Thursday when Sarri’s side wrap up their Europa League Group L campaign with a trip to Hungary to take on Vidi.

The sixth-placed side in the Bundesliga have secured the loan signing of the midfielder as he joins from the league leaders

Sebastian Rode has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Rode has struggled to make an impact since joining Dortmund from Bayern Munich in 2016.

The midfielder last appeared in the Bundesliga in May 2017 and will spend the rest of the campaign on loan with Eintracht, where he played between 2010 and 2014.

“We thank Sebastian Rode for his commitment to this day and wish him much health and match practice for his time at Eintracht,” said BVB sporting director Michael Zorc.

Rode has been out of action with a groin injury, but the 28-year-old declared he is ready to make an impact on his Eintracht return.

“I am very happy to be able to attack fully again,” he told Eintracht’s website. “I have the time in harmony and above all the team is in very good shape and they have a lot to plan for the next six months and of course I want to do my part.”

Dortmund are six points clear at the top of the Bundesliga going into the mid-season break, with Eintracht in sixth spot, and sporting director Fredi Bobic feels Rode’s arrival will be a boost.

“We are confident that the quality of the squad will be further enhanced with Sebastian, an absolute team player, who has gained a lot of experience at Bayern and Dortmund in the past four years and will now benefit us,” said Bobic.

“Sebastian is a very good fit in our team and we’ve been looking at him over the past few weeks and months to find he has completely overcome his injury, and we believe this solution is a win for all parties.

“Sebastian Rode has shown his potential in the past, if he stays injury free, he will be able to help us, he wanted to join us and did his bit to make it happen.”

Eintracht will return to Bundesliga play when the league resumes in mid-January with a home date against Freiburg. 

The Blues are faltering in the winter period and now face a tricky away trip to a local rival in their Boxing Day fixture

Chelsea have been inconsistent since the final international break of the season at the end of November and they could do with a win against Watford on Wednesday. 

A run of three wins in a row was brought to a halt by Leicester City, who shocked Stamford Bridge, pulling off a 1-0 win on Saturday afternoon as Chelsea wasted a host of chances.

This comes as the battle for the top four places sees little margin for error, with Tottenham on a run of exceptional form and Arsenal sitting just behind fourth placed Chelsea on goal difference.

Alvaro Morata is back in contention but he didn’t make the bench for Leicester’s recent visit to west London. Gary Cahill also returned and Victor Moses is back in training but both players remain on the fringes at Stamford Bridge.

Andreas Christensen is the only major doubt having suffered a hamstring injury last week in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth.

Neither Chelsea nor Watford have any players suspended for the match.

Eden Hazard has operated as a false 9 for Chelsea in three matches so far for Sarri and the Belgian’s central influence has seen his side win two of those games.

Sarri also seems to have settled on a preferred XI, with Kepa Arrizabalaga, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and N’Golo Kante having started all of the Blues’ Premier League games.

The battle for places comes down to Willian and Pedro in attacking berths, while in midfield Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are aiming to prove that they are the best option. The Watford game is sandwiched between the recent defeat to Leicester and an upcoming away trip to Crystal Palace, so rotation is to be expected.

Andre Gray is expected to remain out, having missed the past two weeks with a knee injury. Will Hughes has a hip problem to contend with and is unlikely to make the home match against the FA Cup winners. 

Sebastian Prodl is also working on coming back from a knee injury.

The match at Vicarage Road kicks off at 7:30pm GMT (2:30pm ET) on Wednesday and it will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK.

The former Stoke City and U.S. national team winger is set to join the reigning MLS Cup champions, sources confirmed to Goal

Defending MLS Cup champion Atlanta United is set to sign former U.S. national team midfielder Brek Shea, multiple sources confirmed to Goal on Thursday.

Shea, 28, will join Atlanta United as a free agent after the Vancouver Whitecaps failed to pick up the option year on his contract. Shea spent two seasons with the Whitecaps after joining from Orlando City. He played in 28 matches in 2018, recording three goals and two assists.

The former Stoke City midfielder gives Atlanta United a versatile left-footed option, and can play anywhere from left back to left wing, and even as a left forward. The 6-foot-3 American has made 34 appearances for the U.S. national team, and is a former USMNT teammate of Atlanta United general manager Carlos Bocanegra.

It has been a busy offseason for Atlanta United, having bid farewell to head coach Tata Martino, and having earlier this week hired Dutch coach Frank DeBoer as Martino’s replacement. Atlanta United is also set to sign Argentinian midfielder Gonzalo ‘Pity’ Martinez from newly-crowned Copa Libertadores champions River Plate. Martinez’s arrival is expected to help replace star playmaker Miguel Almiron, who is reportedly being pursued by multiple European clubs.

Shea’s arrival should help give the team some depth on the left side, and could help offset the departure of U.S. national team left back Greg Garza, who operated both as a left back and left wing back for the Five Stripes. Shea has experience in both roles, and can also give the team an attacking option higher up the field.

Garza has been the lone high-profile departure so far from Atlanta United, which succeeded in re-signing captain Michael Parkhurst to a new deal and avoided losing any players in the MLS expansion draft.

Shea will be looking to rejuvenate a career that has faltered since a disappointing three-year stint in England after a $4 million transfer to Stoke City from FC Dallas in 2012. He eventually returned to MLS with Orlando City in 2015, but he never did reach the levels expected of him when he was an MLS MVP finalist in 2011 as a 21-year-old.

Atlanta United will be hoping Shea can show more of the flashes he showed towards the end of his time with the Whitecaps. He managed seven goals and four assists over two seasons playing in a variety of different roles, but scored three goals in his final seven matches of 2018 with Vancouver.

Atlanta United’s offseason is set to be a short one, with the MLS champions set to compete in the Concacaf Champions League. The Five Stripes will face Costa Rican champions Herediano in the Champions League Round of 16, with the first leg of their two-leg series set for February 21.

The Paris Saint-Germain boss admits it is tough to find the requisite quality to strengthen his squad in the winter window

Thomas Tuchel has outlined the difficulty Paris Saint-Germain will have to improve their squad in January, admitting he would like another Marco Verratti and another Marquinhos.

PSG are still challenging on four fronts heading into 2019, clear at the top of Ligue 1 and set to face misfiring Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League.

There is still a desire to strengthen the side in the upcoming transfer window, but head coach Tuchel acknowledges that it is difficult to find players of the quality he desires.

Discussing potential transfer targets, Tuchel told a news conference: “It’s simple – I would like to have a second Verratti and a second Marquinhos and I would be very happy.

“They have top quality, top personality, they are top players. Top, top, top! They are hard to find.

“I am the coach – it is very difficult for me to be satisfied with our level. In my opinion, one must always improve: my translator, you [the media], me… I’m demanding.”

One position in which PSG are well stocked is with the goalkeepers, as Alphonse Areola and veteran star Gianluigi Buffon continue to vie for the starting berth.

Areola has regularly been linked with moves away from Paris in recent years, yet he signed a new contract this week and Tuchel is pleased with the attitude of the academy graduate.

“In every meeting, Areola has said to me, ‘This is my club, it’s my club, I want to stay here’,” Tuchel said. “It’s really important to have boys like that.

“This is a good signal. I’m very happy that he’s with us for a few years.”

Tuchel did confirm that Areola is a doubt to face Nantes on Saturday, however, with Angel di Maria also potentially missing out.

However, with PSG still unbeaten in Ligue 1 and 10 points clear of second-placed Lille with two games in hand to boot, they are unlikely to feel too concerned by the absence of two players.

The Belgian played under the new manager for the first time on Sunday, and the Norwegian has no plans to use him in a static role

Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted Romelu Lukaku will not play in a “target man” role as long as he is in charge.

Lukaku endured a difficult first half of the season, struggling for form and fitness after claiming he had been negatively impacted by building up too much muscle during the World Cup.

The 25-year-old striker was granted compassionate leave over Christmas and, as such, is further behind than the majority of his team-mates with respect to match sharpness.

But, in Sunday’s 4-1 hammering of Bournemouth, Lukaku came on as a second-half substitute for the impressive Marcus Rashford and scored United’s final goal, beating Asmir Begovic after latching on to Paul Pogba’s pass.

It was the first time Lukaku had featured since former boss Jose Mourinho – with whom the Belgian was said to have a close bond – was replaced by Solskjaer, and the new man at the helm is excited by the prospect of the former Everton man being fully fit.

“At times he’s a good target man, but if you tell him to be a target man he’ll never face the goal,” Solskjaer told reporters. “Today [Sunday] he was side-on and he’s got the attributes of a top, top striker.

“We need to work on his fitness, but I’m delighted. Even though he was half a yard offside [for his goal], it was a good finish.”

Bournemouth lost their goalscorer and defender Nathan Ake to injury late in the game, but manager Eddie Howe was unsure about the severity of the suspected hamstring issue.

“I don’t know the latest on Nathan Ake,” Howe said. “I’ll need to speak to him and the medical team, but it looked like a hamstring complaint.”

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Mauricio Pochettino’s men secured their place in the fourth round of the cup with a 7-0 win against the League Two side

Tottenham have set a new club-record by beating Tranmere Rovers 7-0 in their FA Cup third-round tie.

The victory is Spurs’ biggest win away from home in the club’s 136-year history.

The seven-goal mauling was also Tottenham’s largest margin of victory since they beat Wigan Athletic 9-1 in 2009, and the club’s biggest FA Cup win since they overcame Crewe 13-2 in a fourth-round replay 59 years ago.

Surprisingly, Spurs took 40 minutes to break the deadlock at Prenton Park, which came through through Serge Aurier, who also bagged his second 10 minutes after the interval. It was the former PSG man’s first ever career brace.

Aurier’s double also means he scored more goals on Friday than he had during his previous 35 appearances combined.

Fernando Llorente also was on the scoresheet for Tottenham, and the Spanish striker netted a hat-trick for Pochettino’s side.

Llorente has now scored three in each of his last two starts in the FA Cup. The 33-year-old recorded a hat-trick when Spurs beat Rochdale 6-1 last February.

Son Heung-min was the third player to get on the scoresheet for Tottenham before he was replaced on 65 minutes. Harry Kane added a seventh and final goal in the 82nd minute – his ninth in the last eight FA Cup matches.

The win means the north London club are the first side to qualify for the fourth round of the cup and will hope their Premier League rivals slip up during the remainder of the weekend’s fixtures.

Kane and Son were among a number of first-team players selected for Tottenham, as well as Ben Davies, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura, who played all 90 minutes.

Tottenham have not won a major trophy since claiming the League Cup in 2008, and is often levelled as an argument against Pochettino’s success at Spurs.

Next up for Tottenham is the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea which will take place on Tuesday at Wembley Stadium.

That is followed by a weekend Premier League clash with Manchester United, also in London. A win could help reduce the deficit to leaders Liverpool who, following the results from the Premier League’s midweek matches, Spurs trail by six points.