Manchester City will welcome Premier League champions, Liverpool, to the Etihad in a Super Sunday showdown on Sunday evening, with both sides still favorites to win the league.
Liverpool haven’t hit the same vein of form they were in last season when they won the Premier League with a number of games remaining and a trip to the Etihad might prover harder than presumed.
Pep Guardiola and his side are yet to string a host of consistent results, so far, in the Premier League. However, they have been a team to beat in Europe with three wins from three in the UEFA Champions League group stage, so far.
Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp, has claimed Sunday’s trip to play Manchester City at the Etihad to be the “most difficult game in the world of football”.
Although Liverpool have been victorious against Arsenal and Chelsea already this season, City proves the toughest challenge to their title defense so far and we shall see where the pendulum swings much later on Sunday.
Only one of the last 10 league meetings between City and Liverpool has been won by the visiting side, and Klopp is well aware of the challenge facing his players.
Team news
Manchester City team news
Manchester City’s superstar striker Sergio Kun Aguero has been ruled out of the big Premier League clash with champions, Liverpool, on Super Sunday.
City’s all-time leading goalscorer has been absent for the last three games because of a hamstring injury, but though he had been given an outside chance of featuring, Pep Guardiola confirms at his press conference: “No, he is not ready, not yet.”
Gabriel Jesus who scored on his return from a thigh injury in the Champions League during the midweek could start in the absence of Aguero.
Left-back Benjamin Mendy and midfielder Fernandinho are still out on the sidelines.
Liverpool team news
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is not fit and ready for the trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The Spaniard was left out of Spain’s squad for the forthcoming international round of games and has missed the last five games with a knee problem.
Diogo Jota,who is red hot on form currently, is back fit after a knock in the midweek Champions League win over Atalanta and with his hat-trick in that match, it means he is pushing Roberto Firmino for a starting place, while center-back Joel Matip could come in for the first time since mid-September.
Stats and facts heading into the match (Backed by Opta)
- Manchester City have won their last three home league games against Liverpool by an aggregate score of 11-1. They’ve not won four consecutively against the Reds at home since March 1937.
- Liverpool haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last 10 away league games against Man City, conceding 26 goals in total in that run (W1 D2 L7).
- Manchester City have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games against reigning champions, with the only exception in that run being a 2-4 loss at Leicester in December 2016. However, they’ve won none of their last 11 when facing Liverpool as the previous season’s title winner (D2 L9) since a 3-1 win in October 1977.
- Manchester City are looking to win consecutive league games for the first time this season. The Citizens have scored exactly once in each of their last four matches – they last went five consecutive Premier League matches without netting more than once back in March 2009.
- Liverpool have conceded 15 goals in their seven Premier League games this season, as many as they shipped in their first 26 league games last term. Indeed, it’s the most the Reds have conceded seven games into a league campaign since 1964-65 (also 15).
- Since the start of last season, Liverpool have won a league-high 28 points from losing positions in the Premier League, coming from behind to win each of their last two games. The Reds have never won three consecutive Premier League games when conceding first, with Arsenal in March 2012 (4) the last to do so in the competition.
- In their six Premier League games this season, Man City have scored just nine goals (1.5 per game) and have an expected goals (xG) figure of 7.9 (1.3 per game). It’s their lowest xG per game rate in the competition since we have this data available (2013-14), while it’s their lowest goals-per-game rate in the league since 2007-08 (1.2).
- Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has lost more games against Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp than he has any other manager in his career (8).
- Mohamed Salah has scored 80 Premier League goals in 115 games for Liverpool since joining the Reds in 2017, at least nine more than any other player in the division in that time.
- Two of Diogo Jota’s three goals for Liverpool in the Premier League this season have been as a substitute – no other player has scored more than once from the bench in the competition so far this term.
Prediction
More often said than not, a win for any side going into the international break proves a morale booster and both sides would not want to lose out in this gargantuan matchup on Super Sunday.
City are still currently out of the top four despite having played a game less and a win on their home turf brings them closer to the top of the table.
Liverpool as well could return to the summit of the Premier League table with a win and it’s all to play for at the Etihad.
Verdict: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool
A draw is a perfect result