Liverpool, October 9, 2025 — With the October international break providing a little respite from the Premier League’s fever, all eyes are on one of English football’s most infamous games: Liverpool vs Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, October 19. During the pre-match buildup, Manchester United star Paul Scholes sparked debate with a brutally honest forecast that delved deep into his former club’s mentality. The 50-year-old midfield maestro, speaking on Sky Sports’ ‘The Overlap Fan Debate’ opposite Liverpool great Jamie Carragher, did not mince words: Liverpool will win, but United’s outcome felt “almost predictable.” “Ruben Amorim should try to get something from Liverpool at Anfield.” “I’d be thinking about drawing the game and finding a way to keep them from scoring,” Scholes said, his tone laden with disappointment. “Manchester United are in such a rut that I can’t recall the last time they won a major game or one that meant a lot. This bunch of players is in such a deep rut that you don’t believe they’ll get out of it. It’s almost foreseeable that they’ll lose at Anfield.” 29516ae0a2fbe2aa0f
Scholes’ decision, coming only days after Liverpool’s heartbreaking 2-1 stoppage-time loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – their third loss in five league games – highlights a bleak reality for Arne Slot’s reigning champions. The Reds, who won the 2024-25 title with a record 98 points during Jürgen Klopp’s final season, are currently third with 15 points from nine games, six behind leaders Manchester City and vulnerable to Arsenal’s push. Mohamed Salah’s recent form slump – only three goals amid defensive blunders that exposed Conor Bradley against Chelsea’s Alejandro Garnacho – has fuelled concern, with Danny Murphy labelling him a “little problem” in Slot’s high-line style. d78172 However, Scholes feels a reaction emerging. “It’s almost predictable that Slot will get his Premier League champions purring once more when the Red Devils travel across the M62,” he said the Liverpool Echo, conjuring memories of Liverpool’s derby dominance: unbeaten in the last four league games (two draws, two United wins? Wait, no – two draws in a row recently, but Scholes laments United’s drought since Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure). 43d82d The Dutchman’s tactical changes, such as providing more midfield support for Salah and rotating with Federico Chiesa, have the potential to release Darwin Núñez’s mayhem or Florian Wirtz’s creativity, which have been dormant in recent weeks.
Manchester United’s future looks bleaker under Ruben Amorim, the Portuguese pragmatist who replaced Erik ten Hag in a mid-season coup last November following Sporting CP’s back-to-back triumphs. The Red Devils, who are ninth with 10 points from nine games, eked out a 2-0 home win over Sunderland last Saturday – goals from Bruno Fernandes and a Kobbie Mainoo screamer – but it is a blip in an otherwise dark season. Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation has strengthened the defence with £60 million acquisition Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martínez, but the offence struggles. Despite scoring five goals, Rasmus Højlund has a league-low 0.9 xG per game. “We’re tackling the rut, but what about big games? We’ve lost how,” Amorim admitted after Sunderland, with his team winless in their last six derbies (three draws, three loses). Scholes, a three-time title winner with United, is concerned about the attitude gap: “That’s a completely different mentality than Arsenal going to Liverpool, who are looking to win the league.” United? “No confidence.” 509039b7318a
The fixture’s mythology raises the stakes. Anfield has not seen a United league victory since January 2016 (a 3-1 thriller under Louis van Gaal), and the Kop’s roar, aided by a 61,000 sell-out, has brought down titans. Liverpool’s recent derby draws (0-0 in 2023-24 and 2-2 in 2024-25) have denied United oxygen, but Slot wants a statement to stop the slump. “We’ll use the break to reset,” the 46-year-old promised, anticipating Wirtz’s adaption and Alexis Mac Allister’s recovery from a minor injury. United, meanwhile, welcome back Marcus Rashford from suspension, but Amorim’s injury list, which includes Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, thins the flanks. Pundits piled on: Gary Neville, Scholes’ former colleague, joked on his podcast, “Paul’s right – it’s Liverpool’s to lose now.” “United requires a miracle.” af9320
Scholes’ courage originates from personal scars. The Ginger Ninja, who scored 155 goals in 718 United appearances, including the memorable 2008-09 semi-final strike against Arsenal, understands how harsh derbies can be. His prognosis is not blind loyalty; it is a clear appeal for Amorim to “find a way somehow” – park the bus, block Mainoo’s vision, and frustrate Salah. However, as Carragher pointed out on The Overlap, “Even Scholes knows Anfield’s curse on United.” Fans chatter about #ScholesPredictsLFCW. Memes about United’s “predictable pain” are trending on X, with 80k posts.
This blockbuster is more than just points; it is about pride. For Liverpool, success exorcises Chelsea’s ghosts and reignites title hopes. For United, a draw saves scraps; a win? Mythic. Scholes feels that one team will win, and his money is on the Reds. “They’ll beat them,” he said bluntly. f43e809e1c0a Anfield awaits, and the M62 is a highway to mayhem. In football’s fiercest feud, predictability yields to passion—but Scholes sees only one victor.
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