Manchester City vs Liverpool predictions, confirmed line-ups and TV info | Premier League preview
Liverpool‘s first game as Premier League champions sees them travel to closest challengers and now former holders Manchester City on Thursday evening.
The Reds finally wrapped up the title thanks to Man City‘s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, leaving them unable to overturn Liverpool‘s 23-point lead, and thus the first side to host the new champions.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed his team will give Liverpool‘s players a guard of honour as they walk onto the pitch. However, Jurgen Klopp has insisted his side do not need the honour, nor will they still be celebrating the title win at the Etihad.
“I don’t need it, to be honest,” he told reporters.
“We go there to play a football game and win a football game. We don’t celebrate a thing that happened a week before.”
Although the title has been wrapped for Liverpool, the Reds will still be chasing history when they visit the Etihad, with a number of records – including Man City‘s 100 points from 2017/18 – very possible.
Man City vs Liverpool kick-off time and details
Competition Premier League
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Date: Thursday, July 2020
Kick-off: 8:15PM (UK time)
Where to watch Man City vs Liverpool on TV
UK: Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event
US: NBCSN
Betting offer:
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Man City & Liverpool’s confirmed line-ups and live stats:
Man City & Liverpool’s previous line-ups:
- Man City (vs Newcastle United): Bravo; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy; Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, D Silva, Sterling; Jesus.
- Liverpool (vs Crystal Palace): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Ederson will return to for Man City after being rested against Newcastle in the FA Cup, but Fernandinho is suspended following his red card for handball against Chelsea. Joel Matip has been ruled out for the remainder of the season for Liverpool.
Players to watch:
Man City: Riyad Mahrez. With Leroy Sane most likely having played his final Man City game, close to joining Bayern Munich, the impetus will be on the club’s current crop to prove he will not be missed. One player capable of doing that is Mahrez, who has been in good form since the return of football, scoring twice and recording one assist in three league matches.
Both of his goals came last time out at the Etihad, as Man City romped 5-0 against Burnley, although his performance was slightly overshadowed by Phil Foden’s own brace. It took his total tally for the season to 11 goals, the fifth campaign in a row in which he had scored at least 10 in all competitions. If Man City look to hit Liverpool on the counter-attack, Mahrez will be key.
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah. Liverpool have a number of quality players capable of adding to Man City‘s misery, but the Egyptian has a big milestone in his sights. Since first moving to England with Chelsea in 2014, Salah has played 114 games, 101 of which having come in the red of Liverpool. During that time, the Egyptian has been directly involved in 99 goals, again the large bulk coming since his move to Liverpool, scoring 73 goals and adding 26 assists. Should Salah reach 100 against Man City, be it with a goal or assist, the 28-year-old would reach that milestone the second quickest in Premier League history. As things stand, only Alan Shearer would have been directly involved in 100 Premier League goals quicker than Salah, doing so in 100 appearances. And it is possible that it will come against Man City, with Salah having been directly involved in three goals in five Premier League appearances, including scoring in the 3-1 win earlier this season.
Three things we think will happen in Man City vs Liverpool:
1. Both teams will score
Jurgen Klopp has taken his Liverpool side to the Etihad five times in all competitions. The only occasion on which both teams didn’t score was Man City‘s 5-0 win in 2017, during which Sadio Mane was sent off in the 37th minute for a high boot on Ederson.
Both teams have also scored in all of the last three meetings between Liverpool and Man City, covering two league games and the Community Shield. More broadly, both teams have scored in six of their last 10 games in the Premier League.
2. Liverpool to keep their foot on the pedal
Normally when a team wraps up the league before the end of the season, there is the potential for the players to relax more on the pitch, with the main target achieved. But if any team ever looked immune to complacency, it’s Liverpool. The Reds have dropped just seven points all season, drawing twice and losing once, and have the points and wins records in their sights.
History is also on Liverpool‘s side, with recent champions faring well after wrapping up the league. Not since Chelsea lost 3-0 to West Brom in 2015 have the Premier League champions tasted defeat after the title was confirmed, a run of 10 games including eight wins and two draws.
3. One of Liverpool’s terrifying trio to score
Although Liverpool have built a solid all-round team, a lot of the focus and praise remains very much on their attacking trio of Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino. And they could settle the game at the Etihad.
Since Salah signed for Liverpool in 2017 and completed the trio, the Reds have played Man City six times across all competitions. On only two occasions have all three failed to score, the aforementioned 5-0 Man City win in 2017 and this season’s Community Shield final – in which Joel Matip scored Liverpool‘s goal. The tally in the four remaining games reads: Salah – 4, Mane – 3 and Firmino – 3.
Scoreline prediction: Man City 1-3 Liverpool
Premier League 2019/20 recent form:
- Man City: WLWWL
- Liverpool: WLWDW
READ MORE ON THE PREMIER LEAGUE:
Premier League 2019/20 top scorers list
Premier League 2019/20 assist leaders
Premier League 2019/20 Golden Glove standings
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