Manchester City vs Liverpool: Line-ups
Manchester City
Liverpool
Strong Run for Man City Continues
#1
The Citizens have won each of their last six games across all competitions, including their last five without reply, with 7-0 and 6-0 drubbings of RB Leipzig and Burnley respectively – in which Erling Braut Haaland scored eight goals – two standout results that helped them progress into the latter stages of the Champions League and FA Cup.
#2
Back-to-back Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Southampton are up next for Guardiola’s side, who still sit second in the table and are tasked with reducing the eight-point gap to leaders Arsenal – who have played a game more – if they wish to retain their top-flight title.
#3
Victories over Liverpool in all competitions have been hard to come by for Man City in recent seasons and they have already lost two of their three meetings against them this season, although a 3-2 EFL Cup fourth-round home win in December ended a five-game winless run against the Reds.
#4
Klopp and co, who were remarkably 30 points better off at this stage of last season, have struggled for consistency away from home throughout the campaign and have picked up only 12 points from 13 Premier League matches on the road, losing seven times and failing to score on six occasions in the process.
#5
Claiming a much-needed victory on Saturday would not only lay down a marker to their top-four rivals, but would also see the Reds complete just their second league double over Man City in the last 17 seasons, with their first taking place in Klopp’s inaugural season at the helm in 2015-16.
DPP Verdict
As they did against Man United in March and Man City earlier this season, Liverpool need to step up for the big occasion on Saturday and put aside their poor away form if they wish to come away with a positive result to boost their top-four hopes. Even though there are question marks over Haaland’s fitness, we expect the Citizens to continue their strong run of form with a slender victory on home soil, temporarily closing the gap at the summit before Arsenal face Leeds a few hours later.
