Racism has, unbelievably, become an issue in the Premier League this season leading Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to speak out on the subject ahead of Saturday's match with Liverpool.

There is, of course, an element of mind games in Ferguson's speech as one of the major racism rows this season involved a Liverpool player, Luis Suarez, abusing a Manchester United player, Patrice Evra. The message is clear, Manchester United are a forward thinking, progressive club while Liverpool are stuck in the dark ages.

This may be true to an extent off the pitch and it is an absolute certainty on the field of play. Liverpool are currently going backwards, with Kenny Dalglish's side now sitting seventh in the Premier League with just 10 wins from 24 matches this season. The Reds have invested heavily in some questionable signings such as Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll and they are paying for it with a brand of football that is fairly uninspiring and which has seen Liverpool score just 28 goals in 24 games.

Manchester United, by contrast, have hit 59 goals in that period and the Red Devils are consistently the most exciting and entertaining team in the country to watch. At times Ferguson's side have been brilliant, at times they have been awful but they are always interesting, as last week's 3-3 draw with Chelsea illustrated.

United were 3-0 down at Stamford Bridge, to two own goals and a wonder strike from Juan Mata, but they still managed to fight back and claim a draw with the experience of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, coupled with the determination of Wayne Rooney, helping the champions to take a point. Even the much maligned David De Gea played his part with a stunning save in the final minute of injury time.

The confidence gained from that point cannot be under-estimated and United will surely now be confident that they can overcome any obstacles en route to their fifth Premier League title in six years. A win over Liverpool on Saturday afternoon will surely only add to that feeling.

It is 17/20 at Bet Victor that Manchester United beat the Reds at Old Trafford and that looks like a price that cannot be passed over. United may have lost to Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup but they were hardly outplayed by their rivals and the home side were perhaps fortunate to come away with a win. At home, the Red Devils are a different beast entirely and, even although they were beaten by Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers, they have been very good in front of their own fans over the last two years.

Liverpool are a poor side when playing away from home, with just six wins from twelve matches and five defeats. They were beaten by Fulham, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City and, worst of all Bolton. They struggle to impose themselves when playing on the road and odds of 7/2 at Stan James that they win at Old Trafford aren't indicative of their chances on Saturday.

Manchester United have won seven of the last eight matches between the two sides at Old Trafford with the one exception being a 4-1 win for Liverpool in 2009, the season when the Reds finished second to United and had a team that contained Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, Robbie Keane, Yossi Benayoun and a Steven Gerrard that was at the top of his game. Only the captain remains and he has played just 10 times this season. None of the new recruits at Anfield can claim to be of similar class to those that they have replaced and it should once again be a case of United dominating inferior opponents on Saturday.

Win Market - Manchester United (17/20, Bet Victor)