(Football news) In what could be potentially the biggest fixture of the season, Manchester City will face Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in a top-of-the-table showdown. The gap between the two teams is just a single point and the winner of this fixture would go on top of the table and gain a huge advantage in their pursuit of Premier League glory. Both teams recently won their Champions League quarter-final first leg fixtures with City defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 and Liverpool overcoming Benfica 3-1.
City are currently fighting for glory in three different competitions, having conceded the EFL Cup to Liverpool. However, they hold the advantage in this fixture as a win will ensure the reigning champions go four points ahead while a draw will give them a two point cushion. The Citizens are currently unbeaten in eight matches across all competitions, conceding only two goals and have scored in every single match at the Etihad Stadium since October.
As for Liverpool, they have the possibility to win the quadruple this season, having already won the EFL Cup. Their recent victory against Benfica was their fifth in all competitions and Klopp’s team have an astonishing record of winning 17 of their last 18 matches both domestically and in Europe. Their last win against Watford was their 10th consecutive win in the Premier League for the fifth time in their history. The team has scored 77 goals, the highest by far in the league and have kept five successive clean sheets.
In team news, centre-back Ruben Dias has still not recovered from a thigh injury for Manchester City and will be unavailable for selection. Kyle Walker is expected to be back in the starting XI and Joao Cancelo will shift back to the left side. After an impressive performance against Atletico Madrid, Phil Foden could play alongside Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez in the starting lineup.
As for Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to have recovered from a hamstring issue and could be available for this crucial encounter and Naby Keita played 89 minutes against Benfica despite a knee issue. Klopp has already said in the pre-match press conference that everybody in his squad is available for selection. Sunday’s fixture will be the 219th between the two sides with Liverpool winning 105 matches compared to City’s 58 while 55 matches ended in a draw. With little to separate the two teams, a draw seems to be the most likely outcome of this fixture.
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