
The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool is renewed this weekend under very different circumstances from usual. The Reds are favourites at the Etihad for the first time since 2010, and can’t afford to lose if they want to keep Arsenal at bay in the title race.
City Taken Apart in Madrid
Man City’s dominant 4-0 success over Newcastle United last weekend restored some hope that they could end the campaign well, particularly with new signings Nico Gonzalez and hat-trick hero Omar Marmoush slotting in seamlessly.
But the Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid served as a reminder that the Cityzens have a long road to recovery ahead of them as they aim to raise their level to previous standards.
Erling Haaland sat out the defeat at the Bernabeu and is not a guarantee to line up against Liverpool, who he scored against in their last meeting in Manchester.
Reds Drop More Points
Arne Slot is experiencing his most difficult period as Liverpool manager. Since the shock FA Cup defeat at Plymouth, the Reds have drawn twice and edged past Wolves despite not registering a second-half shot.
Their lead at the top is eight points but Arsenal, who have a game in hand, could have the advantage if Liverpool falter against City and Newcastle.
Slot hopes to have Cody Gakpo back on Sunday, but admits he is ‘not 100 per cent sure’ whether his compatriot will be fit after picking up a knock in the Merseyside derby. Conor Bradley is set to miss out after sustaining an injury at Aston Villa.
Liverpool’s most recent league win at the Etihad was in 2015, before Pep Guardiola arrived in England. City haven’t had much joy at Anfield, either. Their only success there since 2003 happened when games were taking place behind closed doors in 2021.
The Reds did enjoy a historic victory in Manchester in 2018, though, as goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino helped them reach the Champions League semi-finals.
Honours were even the last time these clubs met at the Etihad, as Trent Alexander-Arnold fired in a second-half leveller to cancel out Haaland’s 50th Premier League goal.
Liverpool often score when they pay City a visit but wins have been hard to come by.
They may wish that this fixture would have been on the calendar last month before the champions sorted out their home form.
Dominik Szoboszlai has increased his shot output as of late, and the best bet is for him to record a shot on target on Sunday.
Don’t Doubt Dom
Some have criticised Szoboszlai for teeing up Darwin Nunez at 2-2 against Villa on Wednesday rather than going for goal himself, but the Uruguayan’s chance was far better than what the midfielder faced.
The forward run that Szoboszlai made was typical of his attacking contributions over the last few months and it should have led to in his fifth assist of the campaign.
He has had 11 shots on target across his last 11 starts in all competitions, resulting in three goals. It is a part of his game that had been missing for the first three months of the season, but he is now getting into more promising forward areas and reaping the rewards.
Not afraid to let fly from distance, the Hungarian will be looking to trouble Ederson in a fixture Liverpool may see as a must-win. I was surprised to see Szoboszlai’s shot-on-target price as high as it is, and I’m happy to have a nibble.

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