On Super Bowl sunday, Football Castle previews the titanic battle of the real ‘football’ as defending Premier League Champions Liverpool host their title rivals and former Champions Manchester City.
It is a thrilling clash of the Premier League heavyweights who have enjoyed contrasting trajectories this season. City who are on a 13-game winning run in all competitions, are seven points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand.
City are looking to knock Liverpool out of the defence of their title. To do that, they must win at Anfield, something Pep Guardiola has never done nor City in 18 years.
The Cityzens have lost at the home of their biggest rivals in four of the last five fixtures. Be that as it may, the games between big Premier League sides have more often ended in draws in this congested season; including the corresponding fixture in November.
With Liverpool aiming to avoid a third straight defeat since 1963, a Draw is tipped at 3.63. Victory would take the Mancunians 10 points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand but Guardiola admits it would be a significant win.
“Of course it will be important, I cannot deny it,” he said. “When you beat Liverpool, United, Tottenham, Leicester, Chelsea, Arsenal, Burnley, it’s so important to beat them.
“What I want to see is my team to go to Anfield to win the game like we have done since we were together.
“We have not had exceptional results there but we made good performances. We go to try to win the game, not to draw, knowing their quality and the team they have. No more than that.”
Guardiola’s first signing at City, İlkay Gündoğan, is in the form of his life having scored seven times in the last ten games, the German has picked up the mantle of creativity from the injured Kevin De Bruyne and his experience counts for much more.
Gündoğan is on penalty duties for City and is backed to score first at 6.77, while teammate Raheem Sterling is on 99 goals in all competitions under Guardiola and is backed to score his century anytime against his former team at odds of 3.05.
No player has scored more than Mo Salah’s 15 this season and the Egyptian is a heavy favourite to score first at 5.60 on Wazobet.
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Liverpool’s struggles for goals this year have been against teams who sit deep as they haven’t scored at Anfield in 348 minutes. City’s high defensive line perfectly suits Liverpool’s thirst for space in-behind.
The game promises a blockbuster clash, with both teams seeking purposeful points at a crucial stage of the season. It is perhaps too early for a title-decider given how the season has panned out to this point.
However, should Guardiola’s visitors leave with all three points, Liverpool might find themselves out of a race they led for much of the season.
