MANCHESTER CITY VS. LIVERPOOL
| Sunday, November 9th |
Premier League | Etihad Stadium
4:30PM BST/11:30AM EST
Liverpool have truly begun to bounce back from their October of existential despair. Two victories and two clean sheets —
one against Champions League boogeyman Real Madrid — all lead us to Sunday. Liverpool travel to Manchester to take on City in the Premier League.
Their Manchester rivals currently sit in second place, two spots and one point ahead of them on the table. They also grabbed a big European win in midweek against Dortmund.
The Reds will have their work cut out for them against the blazing form of Erling Haaland, who has scored 13 goals in 10 league games, not to mention the one he notched on Wednesday against Dortmund. The leaking defense of the last six weeks would have shivered in fear of the Norwegian powerhouse, but hopefully the team’s last two shutouts will give them some confidence when they step onto the pitch.
It’s notable that the defense’s return to form also coincided with Andy Robertson’s return to the side, retaking his place from Milos Kerkez on the left. Arne Slot is unlikely to mess with that for this match, unless the 31 year old needs a rest. In addition to the vice-captain, having the midfield duo of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister together has also been a big factor in Liverpool’s recent positive run.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike
Still no Alisson Becker, Jeremie Frimpong, or Giovanni Leoni for this one. Alexander Isak may make the bench, but any of his involvement will likely be minimal as he continues to recover from his groin injury.
Expect the same line up that beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid to take on this battle.
As for City, the only guaranteed absence they have is Mateo Kovacic, though Liverpool will likely get out of facing Rodri, who is still recovering.
The Managers Have Their Say
Arne Slot: “So, a very interesting game to look forward to because when I wasn’t working here and when I was in Holland I did know when City v Liverpool was or when Liverpool v City was, and I could tell you I was 100 per cent sure in front of my television when this game was there. Similar to the Clasico, by the way, but these are the few games everyone is looking forward to and if you are not part of it, you are looking forward to it as well.“
Pep Guardiola: “We have to be our best. I know how quickly everything goes here. One week ago, Liverpool, six defeats, was a disaster, won two but now they come back to their best. I’m pretty sure all managers take a little time for more perspective and everyone has ups and downs in the competition. I have a higher opinion about Liverpool right now. Last season we were losing six games in seven games, it’s the same.”
The Officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Dan Cook, Stuart Burt. Fourth official: Sam Barrott. VAR: Michael Oliver. Assistant VAR: Tim Wood.
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