Liverpool can beat Man City — Henry

● There are signs that Liverpool may be the first team to beat Man City in the Premier League this season when the two sides meet at Anfield today, according to former Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry.

Meanwhile, Arsenal, in sixth spot on the log, also cannot afford to be cut adrift in the race for Champions League places when they travel to Bournemouth today.

Pep Guardiola’s men visit Merseyside with an imposing 15-point lead in the table having gone 22 matches unbeaten in the league so far, having scored more goals than anybody with 64, but fourth-placed Liverpool come second on that count with 50.

In one of those games City thrashed Liverpool 5-0 in the reverse fixture at the Etihad in September, though the final result was clouded by the first-half sending off of forward Sadio Mane at only 1-0.

However, Liverpool had already caused their opponents sufficient problems before Mane’s dismissal for Henry to think Jurgen Klopp’s team can be just as dangerous today.

“We had flashes of that in the game at the Etihad,” Henry told Sky Sports.

“At the very beginning of the game City scored against the run of play. City were exposed on their left-hand side with [Nicolas] Otamendi and [Mohamed] Salah taking advantage of [Fabian] Delph, who we all know is not a left-back, and Otamendi was exposed. I would have liked to see that game without Mane getting sent off because Liverpool were well in the game before that and it would have been interesting.

“The teams that created the most trouble to Man City are the teams at the bottom of the league. At the beginning of the Carabao Cup they played Wolverhampton and they went to the penalty kicks against them.

“We saw what happened with Bristol [City], Bournemouth, Southampton, West Ham and Huddersfield — they struggled against these teams. I do not know why because you would like to think they struggle against teams like Chelsea and the like. We all know how they played against Chelsea, they just bossed the game. But Liverpool were the team that up until the sending off you were like, ‘there is something here.’ ”

City will face a Liverpool side, though, minus Philippe Coutinho, who recently joined Barcelona for a fee worth £146-million.

The absence of the Brazil playmaker at Anfield, however, does not mean Liverpool cannot become the first team to beat City in the league this season, according to Henry.

Klopp will still use a forward line of Mane and Mo Salah either side of Roberto Firmino, a potent-looking front three with impressive support in midfield the envy of most clubs in the Premier League in Henry’s view.

“You still have Firmino, Salah, Mane — I mean, this is not a bad front three,” he said.

“[Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain is there, [Adam] Lallana is back, but obviously you are going to miss Coutinho. The amount of goals he has scored from outside the box is just ridiculous. You have to move on though and Liverpool will always be Liverpool.”

Of that eye-catching trio, it is Salah — who is expected to return to action against City after a recent groin injury — who has most impressed Henry with his all-round play.

Salah, 25, has contributed an incredible 23 goals and eight assists in just 29 games in all competitions in his debut season.

However, it is not just in attack where Liverpool are sure to cause City problems today, but crucially they will also be stronger at the back after the recent £75-million signing of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.

“The leader of the pack who is going to organise people at the back - ‘Do not go, go, five minutes tuck in, we do not need to go anymore, stay here.’

“All the type of things you need, especially at the back because at the back you see the whole game. As a centre-back, you see every single thing and sometimes talking and communicating can stop a counter. So his leadership will be massive.”

All of which points to, in Henry’s mind, the very real possibility of a shock on the cards at Anfield this weekend.

“So yes, there are all the signs that are there to say that Liverpool might be the team to stop City,” is Henry’s take on the mouthwatering clash. — skysports.com

“You have Firmino, Salah, Mane — this is not a bad front three Thierry Henry Former Arsenal striker