Liverpool vs Manchester City Preview and Betting Tip

Games don’t come much bigger than this one in the Premier League. Liverpool vs Man City is always an eagerly anticipated fixture and this season it’s no different. Liverpool, who are 12/5, desperately need to win this match to give themselves any hope of closing the gap to City at the top. The Citizens, on the other hand, are 3 points clear of Man Utd in 2nd and 7 ahead of Liverpool in 4th. They are the 6/5 favourites. A City win would put the final nail in Liverpool’s coffin as far as winning the title goes but in reality, Pep would probably take a draw. Liverpool vs Manchester City kicks off at 4.30pm on Sunday and you can watch it live on Sky Sports. 

Seagulls Stifle Liverpool

Liverpool left me with egg on my face when they beat Spurs in London last week. I thought it would be a tough night for The Reds and predicted a Tottenham win but Klopp’s men proved me wrong. They came away with a well-deserved 3-1 win and they then followed up by beating West Ham by the same scoreline. However, their brief resurgence was brought to a shuddering halt by Graham Potters’ Seagulls on Wednesday night at Anfield.  

Liverpool lost the game 1-0 but it could have been worse only for Caoimhin Kelleher. The hosts had moments during the match, particularly in the early part of the second half, where they looked like they might break Brighton down but it wasn’t to be. Brighton defended deep and in numbers but it wasn’t a one dimensional display as they broke forward with real purpose every chance they got. One of those breaks resulted in a brilliantly worked goal which deserved a better finish than was applied by Steven Alzate.

Liverpool looked like a tired team, both mentally and physically. Alexander-Arnold switched off completely for the Brighton goal and Shaqiri contributed very little. Thiago looked laboured in midfield and while his talent in possession is undoubted, his lack of tackling ability was exposed on more than one occasion by Brighton. Alisson, Mane and Fabinho could return to the fold on Sunday and they will need to make a massive difference.

City Surging Clear

Manchester City are the form team in the Premier League. They are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions since losing to Spurs and they have won their last 9 EPL games. The Citizens have kept 8 clean sheets during this purple patch, conceding just 1 goal and scoring 21. When you consider that Aguero has missed the majority of those fixtures and De Bruyne the last three, it really has been an impressive spell.

Ilkay Gundogan looks like a different player in recent weeks. He is now a real goal threat and he will cause Liverpool plenty of problems on Sunday. Phil Foden has also stepped up to the plate and Gabriel Jesus has scored in their last two matches. Dias and Stones have formed a near impenetrable partnership at the heart of the City defence and it looks like everything is coming together for Pep’s men at the perfect time.

However, City weren’t that convincing in a few of their recent victories. Brighton deserved to get something at The Etihad last month, while Aston Villa and Sheffield Utd weren’t blown away either. The Citizens still managed to take maximum points from all those matches though and winning when you are not at your best is something that Champions have a habit of doing.

Awful Anfield Record

For a team with such a successful recent history, City’s record at Anfield is awful. Their last league win on Merseyside came all the way back in 2003 thanks to a Nicolas Anelka brace. The corresponding fixture last season ended with a 3-1 victory for Liverpool and when the teams met earlier this season in Manchester it finished 1-1.

Liverpool vs Manchester City: Premier League Last 5 Games

Given the hosts current issues at home, Man City will fancy their chances of ending their Anfield hoodoo. However, it could be dangerous to write Liverpool off. Unlike most of the recent visitors to Anfield City will not sit back and defend deep and that will suit Liverpool. Another cause for optimism for the hosts is the prospect of Jordan Henderson moving back into midfield.

Fabinho is reportedly close to returning to the fold and new signings Davies and Kabak will give Jurgen Klopp more options at centre back. Fabinho will likely start there if fit and either Phillips, Davies or Kabak will partner him. It could be a baptism of fire for either of the new arrivals if they started so my money would be on Phillips retaining his place.

City Could Target Thiago

I think City are deserved favourites for this match but they don’t appeal as a bet at the current odds. Liverpool will be desperate to get back to winning ways and if Fabinho returns and Henderson moves back into midfield the team should be a lot more balanced. Sadio Mane could be fit too and that would be another boost for the home side.

Having watched Liverpool’s last few games closely, I think Thiago Alcantara will be targeted by Man City. The Spanish midfielder has a habit of diving into tackles and I am hoping that City’s midfielders try to run at him every chance they get.

He picked up yellow cards against both Spurs and Southampton and he has committed more fouls per appearance than any other Liverpool player this season (23 in 7 starts). Thiago is 19/5 to be shown a card in the Liverpool vs Manchester City match with BetVictor and that is the recommended bet.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Tip: Thiago to be shown a card @ 19/5 BetVictor.

Liverpool vs Manchester City: Key Quotes

Jurgen Klopp: “We need to play football, train and recover and use each minute to train. We haven’t had a break, City had 2 weeks for Covid reasons. It’s a tough year. Some teams it looks less, but for us, it’s tough.”

Pep Guardiola: “Tomorrow when I see Jurgen I will ask him how long we had off. I’m surprised, I thought Jurgen was not that kind of manager, I didn’t expect that comment. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. If he sees the calendar he will see it was not two weeks, it was two months.”

Dave Stevos