Preview: Manchester City Vs Liverpool

1 year ago
by hesgoaldd

Manchester City and Liverpool have become familiar with each other over the years. The two teams have been vying for the Premier League title for the past four seasons. They go again to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals with nothing to differentiate the two teams in the previous two matches.

Pep Guardiola was put through a gang in the Champions League match against Atlético Madrid. The Spaniards took the match to City, who eventually retained a 1-0 scoreline on aggregate. However, the joy came with two big occupants. Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker have both been replaced due to injury issues.

City have played a very exciting kind of football since Guardiola’s arrival. Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez will be counted on for their goal-scoring prowess. Ederson has been under the spotlight for showing a very calm head under pressure. City will start just like the slight underdogs but they can win for sure.

Read also: Why Raphinha could be Liverpool’s next big thing

Liverpool had a very entertaining home and away match against Benfica in the Champions League. Jurgen Klopp rested a number of his players in the second leg, which led to a 3-3 result. This means that the key players will be ready for the big match against City and Liverpool was massive in 2022.

The Reds are one point ahead of their big rivals in the English Premier League and are looking for a quartet. Having also won the League Cup, Klopp will seek to win the only title that has eluded him. Luiz Diaz was a very exciting addition while Diogo Jota remains as killer as ever. It remains to be seen which three players up front Klopp start with but whoever plays, Liverpool are a superpower to be reckoned with.

Team news

De Bruyne and Walker are both out of the game. Nathan Aki and Ilkay Gundogan should start in their place.

Possible line: Ederson. Cancelo, Laporte, Stones, Ake; Rodri, Silva, Gundogan; Mahrez, Sterling, Foden

Liverpool would welcome all first-team players back. The choice of the front three will be fun to watch.

Possible line: Alison. Alexander-Arnold, Van Dyck; Matip, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson; Mane, Jota, Salah

game changers

Phil Foden

Foden didn’t have the greatest of matches in the second leg, at least not for football purposes. He was heavily involved in the brawl between two groups of players and generally had a quiet time.

However, Foden down the left or through the middle is an intimidating proposition for any team. He won’t be able to match the Liverpool central defender physically but his versatility is strong.

Foden can run with the ball quickly and make dangerous cross passes. Moreover, he can shoot from within sight and one of his favorite options is to shoot through the goalkeeper. Given how much Alexander-Arnold loves to play, Foden will find spaces behind the defensive line. This was the case in the last league game with Foden causing all sorts of problems. Moreover, it can also act as an outlet for the pressure that will occur under pressure.

Diogo Jota

Jota has a talent for scoring goals and he has shown it excellently lately. 14 goals in the league comes in second place after Mohamed Salah. Jota’s talent for being in the right place at the right time always works in his favour. His head ability was another vital weapon in his arsenal.

Klopp preferred Jota to Firmino in a lot of important matches and he got a great reward. Moreover, Jota can play across the frontline and can facilitate attacks well.

With Diaz, Salah and Thiago all equipped with great passes, Jota can expertly finish passes when given chances. Jota is also great with both feet, so City will have to be very careful not to let him go in dangerous areas.

predictions

Teams are matched equally across almost all divisions. How much of a difference two major absentees will make has to be seen. Whoever wins can definitely lay one hand on the title. football Liverpool is expected to win 2-1.

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