Home of football statistics and historyPremier League fans across the world are in for a treat on Sunday as Liverpool and Manchester City go head-to-head at Anfield.
Liverpool head into the game one point in front of the reigning champions with 11 games remaining. Arsenal are in third place, just a point behind Man City. The Reds have bounced back from their defeat at Arsenal last month with four consecutive league wins and will be eager to enhance that record this weekend.
However, they will have their work cut out against a City side that has not lost in the Premier League since a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa in December. Liverpool’s task is made more difficult by injuries to several key players including Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota.
City manager Pep Guardiola also has some injury concerns, with Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes unlikely to feature in the starting XI. Despite this, City will be confident of taking something from the game given their excellent run of form over the past three months.
They produced a dominant performance against local rivals Manchester United last weekend, recovering from the shock of conceding an early goal to claim a 3-1 victory. City had plenty of possession after Marcus Rashford put United ahead early in the game, but had to wait until the 56th minute for the equaliser.
Phil Foden’s 20-yard screamer put City back on level terms and the midfielder added another with 10 minutes remaining to send the Etihad Stadium wild with delight. Erling Braut Haaland sealed the victory with a clinical finish following excellent work by Rodri to make it 3-1 and move City within a point of Liverpool.
The result was a notable statistical one for the Spanish midfielder as it extended his unbeaten streak in the Premier League to a record 59 matches. He surpassed Ricardo Carvalho’s 58 games undefeated with Chelsea in the process and will be eager to extend his run by avoiding defeat against Liverpool.
While Haaland inevitably garners plenty of headlines for his goalscoring exploits, Rodri’s influence on Man City is undoubtedly the key to their success. Liverpool’s midfield will need to be at their best to prevent the 27-year-old from dictating the game, but achieving that feat is easier said than done.
Online bookmakers clearly think the home side will have their work cut out, installing Man City as the 5/4 favourites to collect three points at Anfield. Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will be tasked with stopping Rodri pulling the strings and helping Liverpool upset the odds this weekend. If he produces his best form, odds of 39/20 on Unibet HU for Liverpool to win the game could look excellent value when the final whistle is blown.
Liverpool vs Manchester City predicted line-ups
Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
Man City: Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Rodri, John Stones, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Erling Braut Haaland.
Liverpool vs Manchester City prediction
Given what is at stake this weekend, it would be no surprise to see punters who wager on the draw at odds of 14/5 rewarded on Sunday.
Neither side can afford to lose, particularly with Arsenal strongly fancied to pick up three points at home to Brentford the previous day.
On that basis, backing a 1-1 scoreline could reward bettors who are brave enough to wager in the ‘correct score’ market this weekend.
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