Both Liverpool and Manchester United have now announced their squads for this weekend’s legends match at Anfield, where a whole host of stars are set to be on show from years gone by.
Following the first leg back in May, of which Liverpool Legends reigned victorious following a 3-1 win at Old Trafford, the two teams reunite once more on Saturday in a bid to be crowned the Legends of the North.
Dimitar Berbatov netted for the hosts four months ago but it was a brace from Mark Gonzalez and another from Luis Garcia which earned victory for the Reds. Now, the trio, alongside many other club favourites on both sides, are set to take to the stage once more.
Here is the latest team news ahead of the clash...
Liverpool squad
Sir Kenny Dalglish will once again take charge of his former side from the dugout for the fixture, having overseen the previous fixture at Old Trafford four months ago. He will be assisted by Ian Rush, with John Aldridge also acting as a coach.
13 players who featured at Old Trafford in May are back in action, including goalscorers Gonzalez and Garcia, while Xabi Alonso makes his return to the side after missing out in the last fixture. There are also two debutants in the squad in Martin Skrtel and Robbie Keane.
Goalkeepers: Jerzy Dudek, Sander Westerveld. Defenders: Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio, Stephane Henchoz, Djimi Traore, Gregory Vignal, Alvaro Arbeloa, Glen Johnson. Midfielders: Mohamed Sissoko, Mark Gonzalez, Salif Diao, Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera, Stewart Downing, Luis Garcia. Forwards: Robbie Keane, Andriy Voronin, Maxi Rodriguez, Anthony Le Tallec, Florent Sinama-Pongolle
Who would you like to see appear in future legends matches? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Man Utd squad
There is much change from United’s last squad from just four months ago, beginning with those on the sidelines. Bryan Robson took charge of the Red Devils in the first leg back in May but he will be replaced by former striker Andy Ritchie, with Andy Cole remaining as assistant.
Just eight players will be returning for the second leg, including the likes of Berbatov, Antonio Valencia and Jaap Stam, although much-decorated pair Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick will make their debuts for the legends side. However, with just 15 players named so far, more can be added in the days leading up to Saturday’s clash.
Goalkeepers: Raimond van der Gouw, Kevin Pilkington. Defenders: Clayton Blackmore, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, Jaap Stam, Antonio Valencia. Midfielders: Jesper Blomqvist, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Darron Gibson, Karel Poborsky, Danny Pugh. Forwards: Dimitar Berbatov, Fraizer Campbell.
Why are they playing?
Even though the rivalry runs deep between the two clubs, all previous legends matches have been in aid of raising money for various causes. The first leg of the Legends of the North clash at Old Trafford back in May, which ended 3-1 to Liverpool, raised over £1.3million for Manchester United Foundation.
This time around, all proceeds from Saturday’s game, which is presented in association with Forever Reds, are to be donated to a variety of LFC Foundation programmes as well as local community and football projects, such as Cash for Kids and IntoUniversity.
A star-studded lineup is a huge factor in attracting fans to come together and raise as much money as possible by attending the fixture, with 48,777 supporters in attendance at Old Trafford to see the last clash, and a similar number is once again expected this weekend.
