Prediction: Correct score Manchester City 1-0
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A potentially decisive clash in the race for the Premier League title is in the offing this weekend as leaders Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield.
The Reds currently sit six points clear at the top of the league table and could stretch that to nine with a victory on Merseyside. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola s troops could get to within touching distance should they claim maximum points.
Liverpool
So far this season, the Reds Premier League form has been pretty flawless. 11 games into the season, Jurgen Klopp s men have only dropped two points out of a possible 33 and that was in the recent 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. There has been one glaring problem throughout the current campaign though and that is their ability to keep the ball out of the back of the net. Despite boasting the second-best defence in the entire top-flight having only shipped nine goals, they have only managed to keep three clean sheets in all competitions so far and they came against Burnley, Milton Keynes Dons and Sheffield United. As a matter of fact, they have not been able to keep a single clean sheet at Anfield since May. Considering they are going up against the Premier League s top scorers, that record is likely to continue.
Their home form truly is something tremendous though. They have not lost in the Premier League at Anfield since a 2-1 reverse at the hands of Crystal Palace way back in April 2017.
Team News
Despite Jordan Henderson having suffered with illness throughout the past week, resulting in him missing the midweek win against Genk in the Champions League, he should be fine this weekend. In slightly less positive news, Joel Matip remains ruled out so Dejan Lovren is likely to continue alongside Virgil van Dijk in defence. Elsewhere, Xherdan Shaqiri and Nathaniel Clyne are both restricted to the sidelines.
Manchester City
If one side is capable of ending Liverpool s excellent start to the season, it is back-to-back Premier League champions Manchester City. They will surely be desperate to earn three points at Anfield considering it really could drag them back to within touching distance of the Reds, albeit at this early stage of the campaign. One aspect that will give them confidence is their recent away record in the Premier League. This season they have only lost one game on the road so far and that was the shock 3-2 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Norwich City. Even more impressively, that was only their second away league defeat of 2019. In that time too, the Sky Blues have only failed to score fewer than one goal in three league matches, something that Liverpool will surely have to be aware of considering their defensive record this season.
Having said that, Guardiola s men did not have it all their own way in their most recent test. Travelling to Atalanta in the Champions League, they were held to a 1-1 but only after seeing Claudio Bravo given his marching orders and Kyle Walker having gone in between the sticks.
Team News
One huge blow that the champions have had ahead of the match is Ederson being ruled out. The Brazilian stopper was injured in Italy and will be missing this weekend. He joins the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Leroy Sane, Oleksandr Zinchenko and David Silva in the treatment room. In slightly better news, midfielder Rodri could make his return to action having missed the last three matches.
Key Facts To Consider
Liverpool have the far better record between the two sides (W104, D53, L56)
Manchester City won the last Premier League meeting between the two 2-1 in January
The Citizens have not won at Anfield in the Premier League since 2003
Pep Guardiola has not lost more games to any other club than Liverpool throughout his managerial career
The two sides have averaged 2.5 goals per game between them so far this season
Prediction
This match really does feel seismic in relation to the Premier League title race and for that reason alone, it could be quite a tense affair. Regardless of being a couple of the highest scoring teams in the league this season, they do still boast some of the meanest defences too and that is taking into account Liverpool s poor clean sheet record. A loss for either side could be devastating and that again could be a reason as to why it will be tight. The match might just swing in Manchester City s favour.
Prediction: Correct score Manchester City 1-0
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