Will justice be handed out at Anfield on Sunday?
Liverpool v Man City Preview: Hostile Anfield Awaits
The Premier League roars back into action after what seemed like a never-ending international break, and the Premier League’s fixture computer couldn’t have been kinder to the headline writers, with Manchester City set to visit Anfield off the back of City being found guilty of 114 out of 115 Premier League financial rule breaches by an independent panel.
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City’s players are sure to be on the receiving end of a hostile Anfield reception, given that the financial breaches took place during a period of unprecedented success for City, who lifted three Premier League titles and several other trophies, while Liverpool struggled to challenge the Etihad outfit’s dominance in the silverware stakes.
While the walls of the Etihad are threatening to cave in on the Manchester City hierarchy, on the pitch, things couldn’t have gone much better for new boss Enzo Maresca prior to the international break. With five wins from five and three points clear of last season’s champions Arsenal, City would ordinarily be a much shorter price than they are for Sunday’s trip to Merseyside. However, the off-field uncertainty appears to be a big factor in how this game has been chalked up.
Following a slightly slow start to the Andoni Iraola era at Anfield, Liverpool appear to have found their feet under the new manager and remain unbeaten this season. Three consecutive clean sheets in the league were most welcome before the break, given Liverpool conceded four goals in their opening two games. The visit of Manchester City will be the acid test as to whether or not Liverpool have overcome those early-season jitters at the back.
One area that Iraola will be keen to see an immediate improvement in is Liverpool’s home form. The Reds are yet to win a Premier League game at home this season, and he may be made to wait on that front. Manchester City were successful on their most recent visit to Anfield in February, with that 1-2 win being one of three head-to-head wins against Liverpool last season.
City’s away form of late has been strong, with Meresca’s men having lost just one of their last 11 games away from the Etihad (W7, D3).
Liverpool v Man City Team News
Liverpool will be sweating over the fitness of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, who both picked up injuries while on international duty. Manchester City, meanwhile, will be monitoring Nico O’Reilly after he withdrew from the England squad, while Phil Foden remains suspended.
Liverpool v Man City Predicted Lineups
Liverpool XI (Predicted): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Munoz; Barcola.
Manchester City XI (Predicted): Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Dias, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Ndiaye, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
Liverpool v Man City Prediction and Betting Tips
Manchester City conceded three times in an eight-goal thriller with Sunderland before the international break, while a couple of their players were guilty of individual errors for their national teams while away from the club.
Some doubts remain over Liverpool’s reliability at the back, meaning we could be in for an entertaining game.
Prediction: Draw (13/5)
Correct Score Prediction: 2-2 (9/1)
Liverpool v Man City odds: 37/20 Liverpool, 5/4 Man City, 13/5 the draw.
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Tune into our weekend Premier League preview on Spotify as our football team discusses City’s guilty verdict and what may follow next, as well as previewing all this weekend’s on-pitch Premier League action.
