Man City, Liverpool match could be title decider
● Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City visit Liverpool this evening in a match being billed as a potential title decider.
The truth is more convoluted. Entering the weekend, the top three teams in the league were separated by two points. Liverpool (19-2-6, 63 points) is a point up on City (19-3-5, 62), while Arsenal entered their matchup against Brentford yesterday two points back of the Reds.
The hype machine was in full gear ahead of the key match, and it was given more kindling after Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold asserted that the trophies Liverpool win “mean more” to City’s squad because of City’s financial resources.
City’s Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias are among those who responded to Alexander-Arnold, leaving both managers trying to lower the temperature on the fixture in what could be the final meeting between Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and City’s Pep Guardiola.
The latter insisted his players — who have won the last three Premier League titles didn’t need to engage in the pre-game chatter to preserve the club’s dignity. “They defend the club not by responding to this guy but what they have done for many years on the pitch every three days,” Guardiola said. “I’m incredibly proud of what we have done and I don’t need that to feel that my players are really trying to do it.”
City are aiming to become the first fourtime repeat English league champions but have spent precious little time in the lead this season, in part because of Liverpool’s excellent campaign.
And while the Reds endured some key injuries in February, they appear to be getting closer to full health. Leading scorer Mo
Salah was the latest to return to the squad, having made a late appearance off the bench on Thursday in a 5-1 win at Sparta Prague in the Uefa Europa League round of 16.
City’s star tandem of Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are also in form. Haaland has scored in five of his last eight matches (10 goals total), and De Bruyne has assists in five of his past eight contests (nine total).
While today’s match is critical, the quality on both sides leaves Klopp believing a bad result for either side won’t be fatal.
“If you go through all of the possible scenarios, I don’t think after whatever result anybody should open the bottles of champagne,” said Klopp, who is stepping down at the end of the season.
Klopp knows today’s match won’t decide anything just yet. “City games are always big games, probably always will be. Title race decider? I don’t know who brought that up, I think it’s really early,” Klopp laughed. “I don’t think, whatever the result, anyone should open the bottles of champagne.”
Klopp hailed Darwin Nunez as having “quality coming out of his ears” but has room for improvement, he said after the Uruguayan forward scored a brace in Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague.
Nunez took time to settle in England but has scored eight goals and set up four more in 12 games for Liverpool in 2024. “Nunez had to adapt. That’s done and (he is) settled in the middle of the team. He has quality coming out of his ears. Is he at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us, and can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time?”
The German also provided an update on defender Ibrahima Konate, who hobbled off in the 51st minute. “Ibou said to me when he passed me in that moment, ‘I thought if I do another sprint then it could be bad’. He said he should be fine, but we don’t know,” Klopp said.