Alan Shearer Exclusive: Both Liverpool and United need a win for different reasons | OneFootball

English Premier League

Read Alan's latest exclusive for Betfair

In the second of his exclusives for Betfair this week Alan Shearer looks ahead to Liverpool v Manchester United on Sunday and argues that both teams need the win, while he also tells us why Erling Haaland can break his Premier League goalscoring record...

This is a really crucial time for Amorim at Man United

This is a really crucial time for Ruben Amorim at Man United. Everyone was looking at Man United v Sunderland because if Sunderland had gone to Old Trafford and got something then we know the noise around that. But for Man United to win, and do it so dominantly, that was exactly what they needed.

You can also imagine Amorim trying to get confidence from that and take it into the game at Anfield. Man United would snap your hand off for a point, there's no doubt about that and that would be two great results for them.

It's easier said than done though because as we said, the noise around this fixture is great and there'll be a great atmosphere at Anfield. There always is.

Both teams must go and win for different reasons

Liverpool v Man United is always big because of the size of both clubs and former players will always tell you that the fixture is huge and one they look out for which means so much to both sets of fans and players.

Because of the situation and hype around both clubs for different reasons; Liverpool have lost three on the spin which no one saw coming and Man United being the way they are, there's no doubt there is extra spice to this game. It's a game that both teams have to go and win for different reasons.

International breaks are always tricky because as a manager and club, you want to sit and work or go on the training ground and work on what's gone wrong but it's difficult when you've got so many international players away. It would've been a tricky two weeks for Slot and Amorim.

We don't know who will come back fit, who will come back at a certain time, are they going to come back on Thursday or Friday? That's always tough. If Slot has a full squad to pick from then it wouldn't surprise me if he went back again to what worked for him again last season, particularly in such a volatile fixture.

Erling Haaland is the perfect centre-forward

Yes, Erling Haaland is the perfect centre-forward. His record is phenomenal, appetite to score is fantastic. I love it. He's quick, strong, agile, he reacts quicker than most around the six-yard box which is impressive and his ability to put the ball in the back of the net is magnificent.

If you're building a footballer or centre-forward, you wouldn't look too far away from Haaland being the perfect one.

Haaland could definitely break my Premier League goal record. There's no doubt that if he does another seven or eight years, maybe even less then he'll have a brilliant chance of breaking it. But there's so many ifs and different things that could happen to that. What happens if and when Pep Guardiola leaves, the shadow is still hanging over Man City in terms of the inquiry that's gone on.

There are so many ifs and buts, but absolutely, if Haaland was to stay in the Premier League another six or seven years then he's definitely someone who could, and probably will break my record.

Huge weekend for the teams down at the bottom

It would be amazing for any of the clubs near the bottom to pick up three points this weekend. You can imagine the reaction if one of the likes of Burnley or Leeds were to get three points because it's huge.

Sunderland have made a really good start despite their result last time out, Leeds have made a really good start, Burnley may be in bottom three, but most people expected that, and they've been a tad unlucky and conceded some late goals. For any of those clubs, three points would be huge.