Historic soccer rivalry resumes at Old Trafford
Our benchmark for popularity usually boils down to TV ratings. Last year's Super Bowl drew a global audience of 112 million. Last year's Stanley Cup Final drew an average of just over five million.
Last year's Liverpool vs. Manchester United matches? Over 600 million.
The two storied clubs meet on Sunday in the latest chapter of one of the greatest rivalries in sports at Old Trafford. It's a fascinating matchup between the most decorated teams in English football.
Do you put stock in their European performances this week, where Liverpool surrendered a two-goal lead but pulled through with a 3-2 win over Atletico in Madrid? Or do you feel United, at home, have the edge, having rallied from a 2-0 deficit themselves to beat Atalanta 3-2?
Liverpool hasn't lost a game in all competitions this season and have scored at least three goals in all but two of their fixtures. Last weekend, Liverpool thumped Watford 5-0, while United looked bad losing 4-2 to Leicester.
Liverpool striker Mohammed Salah has been drawing comparisons to United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo this season, as he has been superb. He has seven Premier League goals in eight games, and 12 goals in 11 games in all competitions. Liverpool sit four points ahead of United in the table and the Red Devils can ill afford to see that gap stretch to seven.
While Ronaldo's numbers aren't quite as gaudy, three Premier League goals and six in total, he has rescued points with match-winning goals late in games and this is the kind of stage he thrives on.
With so much conversation over such a tight title race this year, many think the team that eventually wins the trophy will be the one who wins the “mini-league” in the games between the other top four teams. If there has been one drawback to Liverpool's season, it's that they have dropped key points at home, only managing draws with Chelsea and Manchester City at Anfield. That's four points lost rather than two points won.
Old Trafford, and the massive crowd that will be spitting venom at the Reds, is a great equalizer in big matches like this. But a fast start from Liverpool could easily bring anger and anxiety and pile the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
My money is on a Liverpool win, but we could easily get another draw, as you can expect United to raise their level for this one with fans back in stands.
Meanwhile, after all the hype and excitement over new owners, Newcastle proved they may be forced to begin a rebuild in the Championship as they were drubbed at home by Spurs and remain in the relegation zone. They travel to Crystal Palace this weekend, who were astonishingly unlucky to only draw at Arsenal last week. Newcastle finally fired manager Steve Bruce and will have an interim in place, but don't expect any bump in quality.
Brentford have been a revelation this year, the newly-promoted squad having already beaten Arsenal, drawn with Liverpool and, frankly, should have beat Chelsea last week, dominating in a 1-0 loss that needed a career performance from Chelsea 'keeper Edouard Mendy.
Brentford face Leicester, a squad that struggled early on but have found their feet.
Brighton have been a spark to start the season, flirting with the top four, but they host Manchester City this week in a true test.
SERIE A
There's no better story in European football than Napoli's perfect start to the season. Eight wins out of eight have the fans in Naples dreaming of a first league title since 1990.
Italy play a round of mid-week fixtures after the weekend, and first up is a massive match on Sunday with Napoli going to Rome to face Jose Mourinho's Roma. Then, in mid-week they'll play eighthplace Bologna.
A big part of their success has been the emergence of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who has five goals already. But it's been a trademark tight defence, conceding only once at home and only three goals all season, that has really put them at the top of the table.
LA LIGA
What a state when the first El Classico of the season is an afterthought. Real Madrid sit second, while Barcelona are seventh, but they're just two points back of their chief rivals. The more interesting match might be shock leaders Real Sociedad going on the road to face last year's champions Atletico Madrid, who are just three points back.