Big Match Breakdown: Liverpool v Man City
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Odds, tips and preview for huge Premier League game
Manchester City and Liverpool are both locked on 19 points at the top of the Premier League. And they could produce a thriller when they face each other at Anfield this afternoon.
City are 4/6 favourites to win the title this season. The Reds are second in the betting at 2/1. This game could play a huge role in the title race.
You can catch the action on Sky Sports Premier League at 4:30pm. Before it gets started, here’s all the pre-match info from the Coral News Team…
Head-to-Head
City have a woeful record at Anfield. The champions haven’t won there since 2003. The likes of Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Kevin Horlock were in the City side that day.
Pep Guardiola’s side lost on both of their trips to the red half of Merseyside last term. A 4-3 defeat in January ended City’s long unbeaten run. And the 3-0 loss in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg all but ended their European hopes.
Liverpool have had a tough week. They’ve failed to beat Chelsea twice and lost to a late goal against Napoli. But they’ve won each of the last three meetings between these sides, and seven of the last 10.
Likely XIs
With Naby Keita a doubt, Jurgen Klopp is likely to go with James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield. That trio has served him very well in league action so far this term. The rest of the team should be as expected.
It’s always hard to predict how City will line-up, but Benjamin Mendy’s injury means Aymeric Laporte may have to fill in at left-back.
Ilkay Gundogan has picked up a hamstring problem, so Bernardo and David Silva are likely to start either side of Fernandinho, with Sergio Aguero flanked by Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.
Key Battles
Liverpool seem to trouble City more than any other side. Is their intense pressing the kryptonite to Guardiola’s possession-based approach? They’ll look to mark Fernandinho out of the game and make it hard for the visitors to build attacks.
Mohamed Salah hasn’t been at his best so far this season. But he could run riot if City don’t offer Laporte enough protection in an unfamiliar role.
The Manchester club could look to go around the hosts, rather than pass through them. Sane and Sterling can terrify any defence, especially one who pushes the full-backs as high as Liverpool.
Match Odds
There could be plenty of goals at Anfield. All four meetings between the sides last season produced at least three. Both Teams to Score is 1/2, with Over 3.5 Goals going for 6/4.
Salah leads the goalscoring markets. He’s 4/1 to open the scoring or 5/4 to strike against City for the fourth game running.
After scoring a stunning goal against Chelsea last weekend, Daniel Sturridge is 17/10 to score against another of his former clubs here.
City will be looking to Sergio Aguero to fire them to victory. The Argentine’s 9/2 to break the deadlock. He’s also 13/10 to net Anytime.
Raheem Sterling is also a 2/1 shot to score against Liverpool for the first time since his departure.
Click here for the latest Liverpool v Man City odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
