Slot knows he must hand £3.5m player first start of the season if Liverpool are to beat Man United - opinion

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Arne Slot has got some tough decisions to make ahead of Liverpool’s game against Manchester United on Sunday. Chris Sutton has backed Manchester United to beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday, whereas Theo Walcott thinks Liverpool will blow their rivals out of the water with a 2-0 win.

Neither team are in the best run of form at the moment, so it’s genuinely unknown which way the game will pan out.Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty ImagesHowever, if Slot chooses to start Joe Gomez over Ibrahima Konate, he’ll be giving the Anfield outfit a much better chance of beating Ruben Amorim’s men. Joe Gomez could help solve Liverpool’s leaky defence against Manchester UnitedAlthough Gomez hasn’t started a game for Liverpool this season, it’s clear that he’s still going to be relied upon when it matters most.

Gomez is also much faster than the Frenchman, so if Jeremie Frimpong or Conor Bradley end up pushing forward and leaving a gap on the right-hand side of the pitch, the Englishman will be able to plug the hole.Liverpool need to get back to the top of the Premier League tableSince they’ve lost their last two Premier League games, Liverpool have now dropped to second place in the top-flight table. Arsenal are leading the way now, with one point separating Slot’s men from the Gunners.