Children wearing Everton and Liverpool shirts pay their respects to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster (Reuters)
Children wearing Everton and Liverpool shirts pay their respects to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster (Reuters)Reuters

Manchester United travel to Anfield on Sunday to play against Liverpool FC in what is touted to be one of the most emotional matches ever played, as The Reds will play their first game after the Hillsborough Independent Panel ended years of anguish by clearing the fans of the club for the death of 96 people during the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium on April 15, 1989.

Liverpool and Manchester United captains Steven Gerrard and Nemanja Vidic will release 96 red balloons in tribute to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster before the kick-off on Sunday.

Live Coverage Information:

Liverpool vs Manchester United match will be played at Anfield and it will kick off at 18:00 IST. ESPN channel will cover the match live.

Team News:

Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers may replace Martin Kelly with Jose Enrique for Sunday match, and Fabio Borini and Raheem Sterling, who were rested in the last match, are expected to return to the squad. However, Joe Cole and Lucas Leiva may keep away from action following injury.

Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson has a strong team with Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa in good form. However, he has ruled out recalling Wayne Rooney for Sunday match. Ashley Young is likely to stay out of action for a few more weeks due to injury.

Performance in EPL this Season:

Liverpool FC is surprisingly in the bottom half of the score table. It has not won even a single game this season. In the four matches played so far, it drew two games and lost two.

Manchester United didn't make a good start this season but they seem to have found the momentum. It is in the fifth position in the ranking table after winning three games and losing one from four matches played so far.

Match Prediction:

It will be an emotional match for Liverpool, as it is their first game after the Hillsborough Independent Panel concluded that their fans were not responsible for the loss of 96 lives in Hillsborough disaster 23 years ago. They will not leave any stone unturned to make their fans happy on this historic day but Manchester United look stronger at the moment with their key player Robin van Persie continuing to find the net.   

Probable Line-Ups:

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Allen, Gerrard, Shelvey, Borini, Suarez, Sterling

Manchester United: De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Buttner, Carrick, Scholes, Valencia, Kagawa, Nani, Van Persie