Mane versus Mata: One player betters the other in six key areas

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Liverpool host Manchester United on Monday.

Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield on Monday night in what is without doubt the most highly-anticipated Premier League encounter of the week.

The Reds head into the fixture in fine form having won five games in all competitions in succession, while United in contrast are looking to bounce back from a run of just one win in four league matches.

Liverpool have not had any problems finding the net this season with 18 league goals to date, and while United have not been as prolific they have on occasions showed their quality in the final third.

A key area on Monday could be how well the so-called play-makers influence proceedings, and two men who have stood out for both sides thus far this season are Sadio Mane and Juan Mata.

As shown by the table provided by Opta, the attacking duo have five goals and two assists between them this season although on balance one of the two clearly comes out on top in numerous other areas.

Senegal international Mane arrived at Liverpool in a big-money move from Southampton in the summer, and this early into the season many already feel he was worth every penny the Reds paid for him.

The former Saints favourite has three goals and one assist in six games, while he betters United’s Spain international Mata in the average number of shots, key passes, take-ons and recoveries per game.

Many questions have been asked of Mata following his previous stint under boss Jose Mourinho at former club Chelsea, yet he has arguably been United’s most consistent performer this season.

Having said that, he comes up short when compared to Mane and that only highlights the sort of impact the attacker has had on Merseyside and in particular under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.