Liverpool – Manchester City (Premier League)
The 23rd round of the Premier League comes with a titan duel at Anfield Road, with Liverpool and Manchester City going up against each other on Sunday afternoon. The Reds are enjoying a very good moment of form and are undefeated in the Premier League since October, and are expecting to get revenge here from the heavy defeat they suffered back in the 5th round. Manchester City, on their turn, are on course to go the entire league campaign unbeaten, but this is probably their biggest test.
Liverpool are 4th in the league with 44 points, from 12 victories, 8 draws and 2 defeats, with 50 goals scored and 25 goals conceded. Liverpool’s last match was last week for the FA Cup, where they have won 2-1 at home against Everton. The team have not lost any of their last 17 consecutive matches in all competitions, and their last defeat was on October 22, against Tottenham. The Reds have been in very good form at home, where they are undefeated this season, winning 6 of their 11 games at Anfield with a total of 21 goals scored and 4 goals conceded. Although their defensive organization is not their strongest point, they have kept 7 clean sheets in those 11 home matches, and they only failed once to score a goal, in a 0-0 draw against Manchester United.
Klopp will seek revenge on a 5-0 defeat suffered in the 5th round of the Premier League, but the absence of Coutinho, who was sold to Barcelona, will be heavily felt on the pitch, especially against a team with the quality of Manchester City. City battled to a 2-1 win over Bristol City on Tuesday, whereas Liverpool have had nine days to prepare for this match, something that might favor the Reds. Mohamed Salah stands out for his superb moment of form, he his the Premier League 2nd top scorer with 17 goals scored.
In their last 5 official matches, Liverpool has a record of 4 victories and 1 draw. This sequence of results started with a 3-3 draw away to Arsenal. This result was followed by a 5-0 victory against Swansea City, a 2-1 victory against Leicester City, a 1-2 victory over Burnley, and in their last match, a 2-1 victory against Everton, for the FA Cup. Alberto Moreno and Henderson, both injured, are out for this tie.
Probable Lineup: Mignolet – Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Dijk and Robertson – Can, Milner and Wijnaldum – Salah, Firmino and Mané.
Manchester City, on their turn, are in 1st place with 62 points, from 20 victories and 2 draws, with 64 goals scored and 13 goals conceded. Manchester City are here with only one defeat in 33 official matches this season in all competitions, with that only defeat coming at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk for the Champions League, in a meeting where they were already qualified for the round of 16 as Group F leaders. Manchester City are on course to go the entire league campaign unbeaten and have the title virtually guaranteed, although this match is, perhaps, their biggest test this season.
Away from home, Pep Guardiola’s side won 10 of their 11 Premier League games with 25 goals and 5 conceded goals, keeping 7 clean sheets in those 11 matches. The Sky Blues feature a team of outstanding quality, they are extremely organized, fight for the 3 points until the last second and they have an enormous offensive versatility. However, they had little time to prepare for this match since they had a tough win on Tuesday against Bristol City, for the 1st leg of EFL cup semi-final.
In their last 5 official matches, Manchester City has a record of 4 victories and 1 draw. This sequence of results started with a 0-1 victory against Newcastle. This result was followed by a 0-0 home draw against Crystal Palace, a 3-1 victory over Watford, a 4-1 victory against Burnley, for the FA Cup, and in their last round, a 2-1 victory over Bristol City, for the EFL Cup. Benjamin Mendy, Phil Foden, Kompany and Gabriel Kesus are all out due to injury.
Probable Lineup: Ederson – Walker, Stones, Otamendi and Delph – Fernandinho, Bruyne and Silva – Sterling, Aguero and Sané.
Liverpool have won 4 of their last 8 direct confrontations, drawing 2 and losing the remaining 2.
| Manchester City | 5-0 | Liverpool |
Premier League 2017/18
|
| Manchester City | 1-1 | Liverpool |
Premier League 2016/17
|
| Liverpool | 1-0 | Manchester City |
Premier League 2016/17
|
| Liverpool | 3-0 | Manchester City |
Premier League 2015/16
|
|
Liverpool
 |
1-1(1-3 g.p.) |
Manchester City |
Capital One Cup 2015/16
|
| Manchester City | 1-4 | Liverpool |
Premier League 2015/16
|
| Liverpool | 2-1 | Manchester City |
Premier League 2014/15
|
| Manchester City | 3-1 | Liverpool |
Premier League 2014/15
|
This match brings together the two most prolific Premier League attacks. Liverpool will want to be the first team to beat Manchester City, while the Citizens will seek to continue their fantastic moment. This should really be one of the most entertaining matches of the season and should be much closer than City’s 5-0 win in the reverse match back in September. A high scoring result could be on the cards here.
