Reds legend Graeme Souness has dropped a huge prediction for Manchester United’s forthcoming showdown with Premier League rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Manchester United ensured their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after they defeated Nottingham Forest in a hard-fought 1-0 win at City Ground last month.
The Red Devils will now welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday for their FA Cup quarter-final clash, with kick-off slated for 3:30pm UK time.
The FA Cup remains the last real chance for Erik ten Hag to secure major silverware at United season, having overseen an underwhelming campaign for the club so far.
Erik ten Hag has reiterated his desire to see United book their place at Wembley in the competition after the Red Devils fell short of the FA Cup trophy last season.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who will leave Anfield at the end of this season, is eyeing up another piece of major silverware for the Reds.
The Reds are in a nail-biting Premier League title race with Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side have already lifted silverware this season after the Reds defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley last month.
Souness drops Man Utd vs Liverpool prediction
Manchester United face a tough test in reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, with Liverpool considered the heavy favourites for the quarter-final tie at Old Trafford.
BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has already made a clear-cut prediction for the FA Cup match, while Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has dropped his verdict for the tie.
Speaking in his column for The Daily Mail, Graeme Souness insisted that the FA Cup is the “last chance of a trophy” for United and is expecting a “cracking” match.
The 70-year-old former Sky Sports pundit added that the FA Cup match is “all set for Liverpool to win,” although the football script “isn’t like that.”
“On last weekend’s evidence, Everton created so many chances against United, you’d expect Liverpool to do the same but score,” Souness wrote for the newspaper.
“And I’ve never seen Manchester City look so disjointed under pressure and give the ball away as much as at Anfield last Sunday. It’s all set for Liverpool to win, except football isn’t like that.
“Manchester United is a very special football club and Old Trafford has always offered fantastic support. Even when they were relegated under Tommy Docherty, it was rammed every week with the fans getting behind their team.
“They know this is their last chance of a trophy and I’d expect them to be raising the roof off that stadium to build a rousing atmosphere. It’s going to make for a cracking game.”
Souness on Man Utd vs Liverpool rivalry
Souness, who will return for punditry duties for Liverpool’s FA Cup clash, recalled the “feisty” experience of playing in matches against United during his career.
Speaking on the rivalry, he said: “It was always feisty. I recall on a very rainy day at Anfield, Kevin Moran, who had his arm in a cast, crashing into Kenny Dalglish cracking his cheekbone, then Joe Fagan running to tell me not to do anything silly in retaliation.
“Moran had caught him with his elbow. I ran over to check on Kenny. He was leaning on one knee and had his hand covering his face.
“He said he was ok but as I pulled away his hand, I could see he was cut and one side of his face was concaved.
“It was the worst injury Kenny suffered on a football pitch and his days of being so photogenic were over.
“In most games, there was a lull in the ferocity. In United-Liverpool there never was, from the first minute to the last and that was out of respect, or dislike, for each other.”