Reds, City in heavyweight clash
LONDON. — The English Premier League returns this weekend after an FA Cup hiatus with a heavyweight clash between Liverpool and Manchester City while Arsenal cannot afford to be cut adrift in the race for Champions League soccer places.
Chelsea take on Leicester in a clash of the past two winners of the English Premier League, Spurs host Everton, second-placed Manchester United play Stoke and Arsenal, in sixth spot, travel to Bournemouth.
Arsenal go to Bournemouth tomorrow with Aaron Ramsey back in the squad, Jack Wilshere should be fit while Mesut Ozil will have a late fitness test.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool host Manchester City tomorrow in the first match since Philippe Coutinho’s big-money transfer to Barcelona. The club’s “Fab Four” of the Brazilian, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have terrorised opposition defences this season.
Liverpool have scored 50 goals in the English Premier League, second only to Manchester City, and five more than second-placed Manchester United.
And they have shored up their suspect defence by paying an eye-watering £75 million to Southampton for defender Virgil Van Dijk. Klopp hailed Coutinho’s “professionalism” as the Brazilian secured his dream move. On paper the team still have plenty of goals in them but have they lost the player who made them tick?
The sides who have most troubled Manchester City this season are those who have sat deep and conceded possession to Pep Guardiola’s slick English Premier League leaders.
City had a spell when they needed a succession of late goals to see off their opponents, with narrow victories against Huddersfield, Southampton and West Ham. But Klopp’s Liverpool, even without the departed Coutinho, are unlikely to hold back at Anfield, where the home crowd will demand they take the game to City.
Liverpool boast an array of exciting attacking talent but Klopp will have to find a way of knitting it together in the absence of the departed Brazilian. An attacking approach could favour City but if Liverpool find their mojo there could be an upset.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is adamant the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli are going nowhere but can he withstand the pressure in the cut-throat world of top-level football where the natural pecking order usually asserts itself eventually?
Kane has hinted that Spurs will need to match his ambitions if they wish to hang on to him. “I’ve always said, just keep progressing, keep getting better,” Kane said. “We want to start winning trophies so that’s the aim. As long as the club keeps doing that then I’m happy here.”
There is no suggestion that homegrown Kane is agitating for a move, with the club on the verge of moving to a new stadium but Levy sounds confident he can keep the circling sharks at bay. “I’m 100 per cent confident,” he said.