Manchester United make the short trip down the M62 to face Liverpool on Saturday aiming to send out a message to the rest of the Premier League.
United are currently level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table, but many pundits have suggested they have benefited from a favourable run of fixtures.
Jose Mourinho’s side have scored 21 goals in seven games and they will fancy their chances of adding to that tally against Liverpool’s shaky defence.
Both Liverpool and United are priced at 13/8 to win the game, with the draw on offer at 23/10.
Mourinho faces a selection dilemma in midfield, with Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini both ruled out through injury.
Top scorer Romelu Lukaku has recovered from an ankle problem and will take his place in the starting line-up.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has met with a major setback this week as forward Sadio Mane has picked up a hamstring injury that will keep him out for around six weeks.
United have made an excellent start to the season, with a 2-2 draw at Stoke City the only blip on their record.
Klopp’s side are still unconvincing at the back and their record of 12 goals conceded is the joint third highest in the division behind Crystal Palace and West Ham.
By contrast, United have kept six clean sheets in their seven games and they are 7/2 to win without conceding this weekend.
Seven goals in seven league games has been an impressive start to life at Old Trafford for Lukaku and he looks a good bet at 21/5 to score the first goal at Anfield.
Last season’s corresponding fixture was a dull 0-0 draw, and punters can click here if they fancy taking advantage of odds of 10/1 for a repeat scoreline.
Sane’s absence could see the home side struggle for goals, but Mourinho will probably keep things cagey during the first half.
With that in mind, the 11/2 on offer for a draw at half-time and United to be winning at full-time looks a solid wager.
Despite the question marks over the quality of their opponents, United have looked ruthless at times this season.
Liverpool’s defensive performances have led to plenty of criticism for Klopp, and his team head into Saturday’s game desperately needing to avoid defeat.
A United win would create a 10 point gap between the two sides and it would be difficult to see Liverpool mounting any sort of title challenge from that position.
Liverpool’s last home game resulted in a 1-1 draw with Burnley and that scoreline can be backed at 11/2 this weekend.
Philippe Coutinho could be eager to prove he’s the man for the big occasion, and the odds of 8/1 on offer for the Brazilian to score first merits consideration.
While Liverpool will undoubtedly try and raise their game, it’s difficult to see their defence having enough quality to hold off United throughout the 90 minutes.
United are averaging three goals per game, so the 7/1 available for them to win and over 3.5 goals in the match is a tempting wager.
A defeat for Liverpool would effectively end their title challenge before it had even begun and Mourinho would undoubtedly take great pleasure in doing that.
Odds of 13/8 make United an attractive proposition to throw into doubles and trebles, perhaps alongside Man City and Tottenham to secure a decent return.
With Liverpool needing to push forward there could be plenty of goals, so a United win and both teams to score looks the call at 4/1.
