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Match Preview: Can Manchester United Women finally get the better of their rivals Liverpool in the Women’s Super League?

Manchester United are back in league action this weekend as they host fierce rivals Liverpool at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday, January 15. 

The two sides will go head-to-head for just the fourth time in history after meeting previously in the 2018/19 Women’s Super League and 2020 League Cup, but the Red Devils have fallen short in two of their previous encounters.

The Merseyside team suffered the first ever meeting in the WSL Cup between the two after Lizzie Arnot converted the only goal of the game in a tight 1-0 win.

Liverpool got their revenge in the following two games after securing a 2-0 win in the WSL, later topped off with a 3-1 Cup victory with a brace from Rachel Furness. 

However, Marc Skinner’s Reds will be the favoured side this time out after losing just one game in the first half of the season and displaying some great form. 

United ended 2022 with a 1-1 draw to Manchester rivals, Man City. Newly crowned player of the month, Leah Galton, scored the opening goal of the derby but Skinner could be without the in-form winger after missing the mid-season warm weather training.

Skinner confirmed Galton had returned to training after missing their 10-0 victory over Birkirkara due to injury. 

Since their previous WSL fixture, United have seen the departure of creative midfielder Lucy Staniforth who has made the switch to Birmingham side Aston Villa.

Staniforth enjoyed three seasons with the Red Devils, making her competitive debut against Brighton and Hove Albion in 2020 and scoring later that season against Burnley. 

United fans appreciated Staniforth’s talents greatly with one fan praising the 30-year-old’s assets. 

“Her abilities on the pitch, such as positional awareness, work rate and passing ability goes under the radar but will be of great help to the Villa side who also welcome Nobbs.

“She’ll be a great addition alongside Nobbs and Daly and will reconnect with United loanee Kirsty Hanson.

“Aside from that, she’s just a good person to have in the dressing room so will help with morale and bringing the team together in those tougher moments.”

Another stated the need for a replacement: “Stan will leave a void in this United squad, not just on the pitch but off, she’s loved by them all and brings great energy to the team.

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“We should definitely be looking in the market after not really replacing Jackie [Groenen] in the summer also, so now more than ever is the time.”

United have been linked with Norwegian midfielder Lisa Naalsund but manager Marc Skinner was coy on names.

He told MUTV: “I don’t want to talk about individuals, so for us, the player that has gone out is Lucy Stan so we’re looking at a position in midfield. 

As for opponents Liverpool, they’ve suffered a loss of a WSL legend this week as defender Gilly Flaherty announced her retirement due to family reasons. 

However, Matt Beard has dipped into the market for reinforcements after securing the signature of Danish youngster Sofie Lundgaard. 

The Reds also welcomed back title-winning captain Gemma Bonner who made 115 appearances for Liverpool in her first stint. 

Liverpool fans welcomed the return: “it’s great to have her back, she’s exactly what we need and has all the experience in the WSL.

“It’ll be fantastic to welcome her back into the team and hopefully she’ll get straight back in to action against United at the weekend.”

“A big loss for us in Gilly [Flaherty] but with the experience of Bonner coming back, we should be able to fill the void, she’ll be missed of course, and we wish her well.”

A win for Liverpool could send them up to seventh in the table but would have to rely on results going their way. 

For United, three points would help to close the gap on league leaders Chelsea and Arsenal who face each other at the Emirates. 

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