Premier League: The Title Shootout Begins

Manchester City vs Liverpool

This could be the moment folks. The Premier League is speeding towards the business end of the campaign and we are about to witness an almighty clash.

It’s a game we’ve been looking forward to for weeks and when Manchester City and Liverpool walk out at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday the eyes of the world will be watching.

Not so long ago, pundits including me – though not all of my SBOTOP colleagues agreed – were ready to hand the 2021/22 title to Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues.

But Jurgen Klopp had other ideas.

Liverpool’s Premier League 2022 results have been little short of sensational with 10 wins on the run, last dropping a point in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea on the 2^nd January.

And that incredible sequence has cut City’s lead at the top to a single point. The Premier League 2022 betting odds are still behind the Sky Blues, but anything other than a home win on Sunday will keep the race perfectly in the balance.

Bring it on!

Talking Points

City are the complete team, well almost

Fans in the blue half of Manchester have run out of superlatives to describe their team which, on its day, can be unplayable with their sublime passing abilities, super efficient defence and goals in every player’s locker, with the possible exception of keeper Ederson.

The main man is Kevin De Bruyne and the Belgian has been clicking through the gears in recent weeks with five goals and one assist in his last five appearances, and he looks the near perfect player since he is yet to pick up a card this season. 

De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, and Raheem Sterling all have 10 goals each. And with Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan both performing at a consistently high standard, this is a team dripping with talent.

The Sky Blues knew they were in for a tough test against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League first leg and they emerged in good shape thanks to a late goal from De Bruyne as he was teed up by Phil Foden, who was outstanding when he came on as substitute.

In defence too, the Sky Blues are a formidable outfit. Even since the injury to Ruben Dias they have been sound. The centre-back pairing of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have formed a solid partnership, conceding only once in the Premier League to Manchester United.

The only question that remains is whether the Sky Blues can win titles without a striker. Had they signed Harry Kane or even Cristiano Ronaldo, I think City would have been out of sight by now.

Fabinho is key for Liverpool

The Reds must somehow interrupt City’s flow of play to allow their own front players to get plenty of game time, and the man who can dictate the play is defencive midfielder Fabinho. He reads the game brilliantly and can cut out the key passes, as well as winning the physical battle with Silva, Foden, or Gundogan in the middle of the park.

A 3-1 win away to Benfica in their Champions League quarter-final first leg has taken the pressure off the Reds in that competition, while City’s clash with Los Rojiblancos is far from over. And that gives Klopp the opportunity to play his strongest 11, though there is fierce competition for places at Anfield. 

Luis Diaz has settled at Anfield superbly following his transfer from Porto and he’ll be hoping for a start on the left flank, with Mohamed Salah on the right and either Sadio Mane or Diogo Jota down the middle of the attack.

Diaz is fast in transition and ideal for a counterattacking team and that is how Liverpool can win this game. He scored Liverpool’s third in their victory over Benfica which made him unpopular with the home fans but he’s fast becoming a favourite on Merseyside.     

History

Of course, as every Liverpool supporter and more than a few Manchester United fans will tell you, Manchester City emerged as a force in English football only recently and the head-to-head encounters reflect just that. Liverpool have won 26 to City’s 13 of the last 56 meetings and there have been 17 draws.

When the two teams met at Anfield in October, Salah scored a candidate for goal of the season and Mane was on target too, but goals from Foden and De Bruyne twice pegged their hosts back for a 2-2 draw.

In terms of recent form, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last nine away games while the Sky Blues are unbeaten in eight.   

Betting Tip

I could make a good case for Liverpool at odds of 3.25 and an even better one for the draw at 3.30.

But I think the hosts will see an opportunity to exert their authority on this title race. Will they take it? Only time will tell, but we are in for an incredible 90 minutes.     

 

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