Liverpool look to turn the screw on City

LIVERPOOL will hope to steal a march on Manchester City in the battle for top spot in the Premier League this weekend.

Trailing leaders City on goal difference, Liverpool have made their best ever start to a Premier League season. Victory for Liverpool at home to Cardiff tomorrow would move them top on their own and put a little pressure on City, who travel to fifth-placed Tottenham on Monday. The good news for Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is that Mo Salah is back in goalscoring form, the Egyptian having scored the only goal last weekend against Huddersfield and netted twice in the midweek Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade.

“It’s good that we can maybe stop talking about that – that will help a little bit,” Klopp said of Salah.

“I was not in doubt, he was not in doubt, but if you are constantly asked about it then you think something is obviously wrong or people are not happy.”

Salah’s double against Red Star took his tally for Liverpool to 50 goals in 65 appearances, the fastest player in the club’s history to reach that landmark. With Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all on the scoresheet in midweek, Klopp will now expect more goals against Cardiff, who have managed just one win in nine games since winning promotion.

City face a much tougher test on paper against Tottenham, who sit fifth but just two points behind after seven wins from nine in the league.

Spurs’ match with City comes just 24 hours after an NFL game is played at their temporary home of Wembley, prompting fears about the state of the pitch. “I’m not sure how it’s going to be,” City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne said. “We hope it will be okay and we can play like we normally do. These games are the most important ones. We have to go and show our intent to stay on the top. They’ll try to do the same because they are close. It’s a big one.”