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Battle Of The Premier League’s Elite

While there’s a host of fascinating Premier League encounters for you to feast your eyes on today, it truly does feel like there’s one game and one game only that is capturing the attention of the mainstream media above all others: Liverpool vs Manchester City. This is a game that people have been wanting to see ever since the season began, with both teams riding high as the pacesetters for the rest of the division. Of course, Chelsea are also lingering in the darkness, but it does feel like these two clubs are the main contenders when it comes to lifting the Premier League title in May.

They’ve both hit the ground running in a big way domestically, letting the rest of the league know that they mean business. Of course, that’s not exactly something that has come as much of a surprise to pundits and fans alike, given how overwhelmingly talented they both are respectively. They possess some of the best players to be found across both Europe and the world, and they seem to have found systems that suit the way they play perfectly. There’s still work to be done, but for the most part, they’re sitting pretty and that doesn’t seem like it’s going to change any time soon.

One of the biggest factors behind their success stories comes from the management, with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola undoubtedly being two of the top managers in world football today. They seem to have styles that really resonate with their respective squads, to the point where they’re always heavily praised in the public eye. Sure, they have their moments and sure, there’s a long way to go before they’re considered to be ‘elite’ teams in terms of the Premier League’s history, but they’re definitely on the right track and that much is common knowledge.

As we look ahead to the not so distant future it certainly feels like a loss could have a massive impact on either side, as stereotypical as that may sound. Big clubs have a tendency to fall into a pattern of failing to win once they’ve dropped points in a big game, and that doesn’t feel like an anecdote that is going to be proven wrong anytime soon. Whatever the case may be, fans should be lucky that we’re getting this match at all, even if they hate both clubs with a burning passion.

Even after everything that we’ve said in favour of both teams, though, there are still issues that need to be recognised. In their last six games the Reds have been on something of a progressive downward spiral, although there’s an argument to be made that we’re being a little bit too premature. After wins against Tottenham, PSG and Southampton they hit a brick wall in consecutive games against Chelsea, losing 2-1 and drawing 1-1. Their loss against Napoli only increased the pressure, meaning that this City game probably couldn’t have come at a worse time for them given how low their confidence must be.

Guardiola’s side, on the other hand, have five wins in their last six and appear to be getting into the kind of rhythm that saw them ease towards the title last season. In that stretch they managed to defeat Fulham before experiencing a shock loss at the hands of Lyon in the Champions League, which clearly flicked a switch for the first team. Cardiff, Oxford, Brighton and Hoffenheim all suffered defeats at the hands of the Northern club after the disappointment of losing to Lyon, and while those aren’t the biggest clubs on the planet, you can only beat what’s put in front of you.

It should come as no surprise that these two clubs have a long and storied history together, with Liverpool being (by far) the more dominant side. They lead 104-54 in the overall head to head rankings, with 52 draws between them too. You’d think City would have the upper hand these days courtesy of their success, but Liverpool are actually on a three game winning run against Guardiola’s side with two of those three wins coming in the Champions League in April. So then, if nothing else, that teaches us not to judge a book by its cover.

It’s a race against time for Liverpool when it comes to the fitness of Naby Keita, who was stretchered off against Napoli earlier in the week. Jordan Henderson could come in as a replacement for Keita depending on the severity of the issue, whereas Adam Lallana is back in full training after a groin injury. Aside from that, it seems almost obvious to suggest that the Reds will have a full strength starting XI out with Salah, Mane and Firmino serving as their main attacking threats in what is easily their biggest game of the season far.

City fans will be happy to learn that there’s a good chance Kevin De Bruyne could feature in this one, after returning from injury much sooner than anticipated. Benjamin Mendy could also be made available as the champions slowly return to having a full strength squad, although Ilkay Gundogan and Fabian Delph still won’t play through injury. Claudio Bravo is out on a long term basis, although for the most part, City have more than enough weapons in their arsenal to mount a serious challenge at Anfield in what is essentially the equivalent of a cup final.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Betting Prediction

This is a game that’ll pit two of England’s biggest and best sides against one another, and as such, it could quite literally go either way. The key to victory in this one will be whoever asserts their dominance first, and in terms of what we think will actually go down, it seems almost obvious at this point to suggest that Liverpool will start the better of the sides in front of what will be a lively crowd on Merseyside. We think they’ll take the lead within the first 15 minutes, giving them something to protect.

However, we think they’ll struggle to find the second against a resolute City defence, which will likely frustrate them quite a bit. After spending the majority of the game trying to break them down once again, they’ll get caught on the counter which will allow the visitors to equalise. Then, because we love picturing some last minute drama, we believe Manchester City will score a late winner that gives them the advantage in what we assume will be one of the best Premier League title races of the last decade.

Buckle up, guys and girls, because it’s about to get very, very interesting.