(Football news) Reigning champions Manchester City will visit Liverpool on Sunday, hoping to extend their lead against the Reds. A staggering 13 points already separate the two sides as Liverpool have endured a terrible start in the Premier League while Manchester City are 2nd, one point behind league leaders Arsenal. The two sides have been rivals for major honours since the last five years but this time around, the fixture between these two sides isn’t a top of the table clash.
Liverpool lost 3-2 to Arsenal last week but bounced back emphatically with a 7-1 win over Rangers in the Champions League in midweek. Mohamed Salah scored the fastest hattrick in the tournament’s history with three goals in six minutes and the Egyptian will be integral to Liverpool’s hopes against Manchester City on Sunday. The Reds can take solace in the fact that their home record for the 2022/23 season remains intact and Klopp’s side hasn’t lost at Anfield since the last 27 fixtures.
City scored four past Southampton last week but had a goalless draw against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League in a side that did not feature Erling Haaland. With Pep Guardiola expected to feature a full strength starting XI at Anfield, City can head into this fixture confidently, especially considering that they have scored an impressive 13 goals in those 270 minutes of football. Moreover, City have a 22-game unbeaten away run in the Premier League and a defeat against Liverpool could be a very damaging result, especially considering Arsenal’s form.
In team news, Liverpool have their fair share of injuries as Arthur Melo, Luis Diaz, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are unavailable for selection due to injuries. Andy Robertson should replace Kostas Tsimikas at left-back with Joe Gomez featuring at the opposite flank. It remains to be seen if Klopp will go for a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation but it’s clear that none of Salah, Nunez, Firmino and Diogo Jota deserve to be dropped based on recent form.
As for Manchester City, Haaland will definitely feature in the starting lineup but the likes of John Stones, Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker are unavailable. Aymeric Laporte could be dropped in favour of Ruben Dias with the backline also featuring Nathan Ake alongside Manuel Akanji and Joao Cancelo. Guardiola is expected to go with Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva in the middle of the park while Ilkay Gundogan could be on the bench. A high scoring victory for Manchester City would be a good result, especially for the neutral fans.
Also read: Kyle Walker confident of fitness ahead of 2022 World Cup
