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A Club In Turmoil V A Club Invincible? Liverpool v Manchester City Preview

Over the last few years, Liverpool and Manchester City have gone head to head for the league title in three of the last four seasons.

City have come out on top three times in that period, with the Reds winning one Premier League title, but also reaching three Champions League Finals, winning one, while City have reached that promised land just once losing to Chelsea.

However, this season has seen something of a sweeping change in fortunes for both these teams and each is in sharp contrast to the other.

For Manchester City, the signing of Erling Haaland seems to have elevated the team to another level, with the Norwegian striker scoring an incredible 15 league goals already this season in nine games, as City remain the only team unbeaten in the Premier League and they have qualified for the knockout phase from their Champions League group after just four games.

For Liverpool it is a much different story. With Sadio Mane leaving in the summer, the Reds brought in Darwin Nunez to bolster their attacking options but did not opt to sign a midfielder and after a slow start in the Premier League, the Reds have won just two of their opening eight games, drawing four and losing the other two.

Not only that but they were beaten heavily by Napoli in their first Group Stage game of the Champions League and although they have won their next two games, they now face a key game away to Rangers tonight to try and put themselves in pole position to qualify.

The net result is Liverpool lie 14 points behind Arsenal, 13 behind Manchester City having played one game less than the top two. They are 6 points off Chelsea in fourth and they have won fewer games than West Ham in the Premier League this season.

People who backed Liverpool to win the league with bet365 Sport therefore are not likely to be happy with the start the Reds made and now they face another huge test, just a week after facing Arsenal they now face a rampant Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

Let’s now preview this huge game more closely.

Premier League – Sunday 16th October

  • Liverpool v Manchester City (4.30pm)

Liverpool

  • Manager – Jurgen Klopp
  • EPL Season So Far – P8, W2, D4, L2, F20 A12 Pts 10 (10th)
  • EPL Form (Last 5) – LDDWW
  • Top Goalscorer – Roberto Firmino – 6 goals in 8 games
  • EPL Outright Winner Betting Odds – 33/1

Liverpool Team News

The Reds have a number of players sidelined for this game meaning Jurgen Klopp will likely have a threadbare squad to pick from for the visit of City to Anfield at the weekend.

This week, Luis Diaz was confirmed as missing at least 10 games and will be out until December, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip were both injured in the game against Arsenal with both likely to be out for 3 weeks or so.

Andy Robertson remains a doubt with injury, but Curtis Jones could be back in contention for a place on the bench. The Reds midfield is already short of options with Naby Keita out until November, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain also likely to be out until then and loan signing Arthur sidelined until the new year.

There is also a potential blow in the form of a possible suspension for Jordan Henderson, pending an FA investigation into his altercation with Gabriel in the Arsenal game at the weekend.

After employing an unusual 4-4-2 formation against Arsenal, with mixed results, Klopp may not be ready to abandon that formation just yet given the injury predicament he finds his team in.

However, he may adjust it to include an extra defensive midfielder in the shape of Fabinho, dropping Jota to the bench and playing Firmino in the hole behind Nunez and Salah in attack.

Liverpool Predicted XI – (4-4-2) – Alisson, Gomez, Tsimikas, Van Dijk, Konate, Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson, Firmino, Nunez, Salah

Manchester City

  • Manager – Pep Guardiola
  • EPL Season So Far – P9, W7, D2, L0, F33, A9, Pts 23 (2nd)
  • EPL Form (Last 5) – WWWDW
  • Top Goalscorer – Erling Haaland – 15 goals in 8 games
  • EPL Outright Winner Betting Odds – 1/5 favourites

Man City Team News

Pep Guardiola may be able to welcome back John Stones to the squad for Sunday’s game at Anfield, but Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker will not be fit to compete in the game.

Erling Haaland sat out the draw with Copenhagen in midweek to ensure the Norwegian star would be fit to face Liverpool, while the likes of Phil Foden, Benardo Silva, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias all started the game on the bench.

City should therefore have a relatively strong squad to pick from, minus the two injured England players.

It would be unusual for Guardiola to move away from his preferred 4-3-3 formation for this game and it seems likely that is what he will go for at Anfield on Sunday.

Man City Predicted XI – (4-3-3) – Ederson, Ake, Cancelo, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish, Haaland, Foden

Liverpool V Manchester City – Recent Head To Head (Past 10 games)

  • Manchester City Wins – 4 (one of these wins was in a penalty shootout)
  • Liverpool Wins – 3
  • Drawn Games – 3
  • Man City Goals Scored – 20
  • Liverpool Goals Scored –  17

Trends

Liverpool’s last win in the Premier League against Manchester City was a 3-1 victory back in November 2019. They have lost two and drawn three of the other Premier League games against City since then.

City’s last win at Anfield was a 4-1 victory in February 2021.

The teams met in the traditional season opener, the Community Shield back in July, with Liverpool coming out on top 3-1 winners in the game that was played at the King Power Stadium.

Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne have scored four and three goals respectively in the last five Premier League games against Liverpool.

Liverpool have won just two games at Anfield this season in the Premier League, beating Bournemouth 9-0 and Newcastle United 2-1, their only two victories in the league this season.

How Will Sunday’s Game Go?

So what will happen on Sunday? Well given the form of both teams and the fact that Liverpool have so many players out through injury, including three of their first choice back four, I cannot see anything other than a comfortable City win.

Back Man City to win 3-1 which has been boosted by bet365 Sport to 14/1.

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