It’s now or never for champs City
Struggling for form, a loss vs unbeaten Liverpool will see Pep Guardiola’s team fall 10 points behind leaders Reds
MANCHESTER: When Manchester City and Liverpool last met in the Premier League, a fixture usually bulging with goals failed to live up to its billing as the most entertaining in English football.
A 0-0 draw at Anfield in October left a worldwide audience underwhelmed. Expect a return to normal when the two meet again on Thursday with so much more riding on the result.
In the first meeting, it felt like the teams were sizing each other up. There was nothing between them in the standings — they were tied on points after seven games — and plenty of respect was shown on both sides.
Now it’s different as Liverpool lead second-placed Tottenham by six points and City by seven. Liverpool are not only unbeaten and on a nine-match winning run, but are blowing away the competition as evidenced by their two wins since Christmas: 4-0 over Newcastle and 5-1 over Arsenal.
City manager Pep Guardiola’s proclamation that if his side drops points it would leave the title race “finished” suggests the champions will go all out for a win at Etihad Stadium.
With their dynamic front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool are never more dangerous than on the counterattack.
So, a City side going for broke against a Liverpool team looking to hit on the break means something has to give. “Our pride has been hurt over but we have everything to play for. It depends on us,” said City captain Vincent Kompany.
Guardiola has previously spoken of how Liverpool’s attackers “scare” him. And there’s a sense he struggles to set teams up against managerial counterpart Juergen Klopp.
Klopp has won seven of his 15 meetings with Guardiola over the years, losing only once in seven while both have been in English soccer.
Dating back to before Klopp arrived in 2015, Liverpool have lost just one of their past 11 meetings with City, and that was a 5-0 defeat early last season after Mane was sent off in the first half. Liverpool have rightfully earned the tag of runaway leaders given they’ve dropped points on just three occasions so far and are enjoying a nine-game winning run going into the match.
They’ve demolished Arsenal 5-1, Newcastle 4-0, Bournemouth 4-0 and beaten arch-rivals Manchester United 3-1 in their last five Premier League matches.
In stark contrast to their opponents, Manchester City have lost thrice in their last five Premier League games. The nine points that they’ve dropped, have also seen them get dethroned as league leaders and fall to No 3 in the table, behind
Tottenham Hotspur.
However, they got back to winning ways in their last game against
Southampton with striker
Sergio
Aguero getting on the scoresheet for the first time since scoring in the Manchester derby back in November.
"(They are) maybe the best team in Europe or the world right now and in top form. All we can do is do our job, play our games and after that we will see."
Pep Guardiola,
Manchester City manager
"We go to City not with whatever-point distance, we only go there to try to play the best football game we can play." Juergen Klopp,
Liverpool manager After a slow start to the season, Liverpool’s prolific front three — Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane who terrorised City last season are beginning to hit top form once again.
They have warmed up nicely for the City game with an emphatic demolition of Arsenal and will be raring to go again on Thursday night. With Ilkay Gundogan expected to make a comeback after missing his side’s 3-1 victory over Southampton, City manager Pep Guardiola might be a lot relieved given Kevin de Bruyne might have to sit out owing to a muscle injury.
There’s good news for Liverpool as well given James Milner is expected to start while Naby Keita might also join the veteran after missing out two games. Left-back Alberto Moreno has also reportedly recovered from a back problem. While Man City are desperate for a win to stay close to Liverpool, a draw might just open up the league in a three-way battle with Tottenham Hotspur slowly sneaking in.
If Liverpool continue with their winning run, they would lead second-placed Tottenham by nine points — a gap that has often earned leaders a winners’ medal. goals Sergio Aguero has scored in his last six home matches against Liverpool
difference in points between Liverpool and second-placed team at the start of 2019. No team has ever failed to win the title after entering the New Year so far ahead
meetings in Premier League between Guardiola and Klopp (since Klopp came to England) with City emerging triumphant only once
goals Liverpool have conceded in the Premier League this season — a record for the joint fewest goals conceded in the opening 20 matches of a top-flight season (Chelsea had the same numbers in 2004-05)
number of occasions a side has remained unbeaten after 20 fixtures of a top-flight season, with Liverpool now achieving the feat twice
times City have won their opening Premier League match of a calendar year in the last 12 seasons with their only defeat coming against Sunderland in 2012
Manchester City v Liverpool, live on Star Sports Select 1 & SS Select 1HD, 1:30am (Fri)
Tottenham 21 Man City 20
Chelsea 20
Arsenal
21
16 05 25 15 23 38
13 43
12 5
4
22
15
48 47
43
41