Liverpool vs Manchester City<\/p>\n
Premier League<\/p>\n
Anfield Stadium<\/p>\n
Liverpool, Merseyside<\/p>\n
5:30pm GMT<\/p>\n
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On Saturday<\/strong> evening\u00a0we are being treated to a mouth-watering tie in the title race as both Liverpool<\/strong> and Manchester City<\/strong> try to keep up with Chelsea<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Both Liverpool and Manchester City are coming off important victories going into this clash. Liverpool won 4-1 vs Stoke City<\/strong>\u00a0on Tuesday <\/strong>night, whilst City won 3-0 against Hull City<\/strong> at the KCom Stadium <\/strong>on Boxing Day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Form<\/p>\n Varied Attacking Talent<\/p>\n Firstly, Liverpool will look to keep up their attacking successes against a still shaky City back line. John Stones<\/strong> and the Centre-Back position is a concern for Pep Guardiola<\/strong>, after the 22 year old picked up an injury vs Hull.\u00a0Overall the key Man City weakness is in defence, as it is with Liverpool. The Reds<\/strong> will therefore look to put the visitors under pressure early on and cause them problems.<\/p>\n Liverpool’s creativity in midfield with the likes of Adam<\/strong> Lallana<\/strong>; who has seven goals and six assists so far this season, and the fluidity of attacking players like Man\u00e9<\/strong>, Origi<\/strong> and Firmino<\/strong>; who has recorded 15 league goals in 2016, should put the City backline under immediate pressure.\u00a0Daniel Sturridge<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n Similarly, the Citizens<\/strong> will look to disrupt the Liverpool defence with their array of attacking options. The Reds trio of Mignolet<\/strong>, Lovren<\/strong> and Klavan<\/strong> have improved together at the back, but Sergio Ag\u00fcero<\/strong>‘s return after a four game suspension is cause for concern. The Argentinian<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n A Key Midfield Matchup<\/p>\n One of the most important areas of the game will be the battle in midfield. City’s creative players such as De Bruyne<\/strong> and David Silva<\/strong> will look to provide for the returning Ag\u00fcero, plus the likes of Raheem Sterling<\/strong> and Kelechi Iheanacho<\/strong> in attacking situations. According to BBC Sport<\/strong>, Silva has 61 Premier League assists since his debut in August 2010<\/strong>; more than any other player. This highlights the potential threat in Guardiola’s midfield.<\/p>\n The likes of Jordan Henderson<\/strong>, Georginio Wijnaldum<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n The Last Word<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Main Photo<\/p>\n\n