Liverpool vs Manchester City
Premier League
Anfield Stadium
Liverpool, Merseyside
5:30pm GMT
On Saturday evening we are being treated to a mouth-watering tie in the title race as both Liverpool and Manchester City try to keep up with Chelsea at the top, who are riding a 12 game winning streak. A win is integral for both teams, in a game which could provide plenty of goals.
Both Liverpool and Manchester City are coming off important victories going into this clash. Liverpool won 4-1 vs Stoke City on Tuesday night, whilst City won 3-0 against Hull City at the KCom Stadium on Boxing Day.
Form
- Liverpool are unbeaten in 16 Premier League home games.
- Under Man City’s current ownership, the only Premier League stadium they haven’t won at is Anfield.
- The last meeting between these two sides was on 2nd March 2016, three days after Man City beat Liverpool on penalties in the League Cup Final at Wembley. Liverpool bounced back that night at Anfield with a convincing 3-0 win.
Varied Attacking Talent
Firstly, Liverpool will look to keep up their attacking successes against a still shaky City back line. John Stones and the Centre-Back position is a concern for Pep Guardiola, after the 22 year old picked up an injury vs Hull. Overall the key Man City weakness is in defence, as it is with Liverpool. The Reds will therefore look to put the visitors under pressure early on and cause them problems.
Liverpool’s creativity in midfield with the likes of Adam Lallana; who has seven goals and six assists so far this season, and the fluidity of attacking players like Mané, Origi and Firmino; who has recorded 15 league goals in 2016, should put the City backline under immediate pressure. Daniel Sturridge has also shown his quality off the bench in recent fixtures, recently scoring his first league goal of the season 56 seconds after coming on vs Stoke.
Similarly, the Citizens will look to disrupt the Liverpool defence with their array of attacking options. The Reds trio of Mignolet, Lovren and Klavan have improved together at the back, but Sergio Agüero‘s return after a four game suspension is cause for concern. The Argentinian already has ten Premier League goals this season, with 16 goals in all competitions. City have improved form and are looking strong, riding a three game winning streak. The return of their talismanic striker should only strengthen their goal threat further.
A Key Midfield Matchup
One of the most important areas of the game will be the battle in midfield. City’s creative players such as De Bruyne and David Silva will look to provide for the returning Agüero, plus the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kelechi Iheanacho in attacking situations. According to BBC Sport, Silva has 61 Premier League assists since his debut in August 2010; more than any other player. This highlights the potential threat in Guardiola’s midfield.
The likes of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana will look to win the midfield battle for Liverpool, pressing these creative City midfielders. In particular the strength and power of Wijnaldum and Henderson will be important. They will look to win the ball back and get it to Liverpool’s creative players in order to create counter attacking opportunities. This is an area where Liverpool will need to compete strongly in order to shut down City attacks.
The Last Word
So, these are two very creative teams who can press, but who also like to dominate possession and create chances. This is a massive game to close out the calendar year at the top of the Premier League table. Liverpool vs Manchester City will have most football fans around the country tuning in.
Main Photo
