When the English Premier League’s (EPL) blockbuster tie between Manchester United and Liverpool gets under way at the former’s home stadium at Old Trafford, also known as the Theatre of Dreams, on Sunday night, hundreds of fans of the European giants will cheer for their respective clubs at eight live screening centres across the State.
The game, scheduled for kickoff at 7.35 p.m., will be screened in Kochi, Kozhikode, Thriuvananthapuram, Malappuram, Kannur, and Kasaragod. The screenings in Kochi and Kozhikode will be combined affairs while the other screenings will be organised separately.
While the Manchester United Supporters Club Kerala (MUSCK) and Official Liverpool Supporters Club Kerala, officially recognised fan clubs, have been regularly organising screenings of important EPL and Champions League matches of their respective clubs, this particular tie enjoys a legendary status among the supporters.
“We are expecting much bigger turnout than usual, especially for the combined screenings, as the upcoming match is perhaps the most exciting one of recent times as Liverpool sits atop the league while United have clogged their way back to top four after a disastrous start to their campaign,” said Liyons Jos, secretary, MUSCK, which is also organising a screening in Dubai.
Though the clubs share seemingly similar nicknames with the Manchester United being called Red Devils and Liverpool being called The Reds, there is no love lost between the two clubs, as no other rivalry in the EPL rivals the one between these two clubs. That intensity is shared by fans in the far off Kerala as well as either set of fans can hardly tolerate a defeat at the hands of the other, forget the other winning the cup at the their expense.
“For our supporters, there is no bigger EPL match than the one against United. Of course, we have Champions League matches, which involve far bigger stakes,” said M. Sudeep, State president, Liverpool Supporters Club.
Supporters are hoping for a sparkling contest with United looking to pay back in style for the humiliating 3-1 defeat at the Liverpool’s home at Anfield whereas Liverpool is aiming another victory against arch rivals to keep the title contenders Manchester City at bay.
