English Premier League: Liverpool vs. Manchester City Preview, Odds, Prediction

This was supposed to be a matchup that would decide the Premiership title. Yet, Liverpool awaits Manchester City, placed in the middle of the standings without proper chemistry and form. The Reds are inconsistent, hampered by troubles in the backline, and without the presence of their usual confidence. As for the Citizens, they are roaring all over the place, playing fantastic football, with staggering Haaland upfront, who is on pace to score 40+ goals in the EPL this season. This is the closing game of the weekend, and it should be the best one.

We also have a preview for the game between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Preview

Liverpool (+320) regained some confidence by humiliating Glasgow Rangers in Scotland this Wednesday night. The Reds opened the game slow, allowing a goal, and only equalizing until halftime. Yet in the second 45 minutes, they managed to deliver half a dozen goals heating up for Saturday’s derby.

What we can say here is that Liverpool finally looked good, like they have in the last few years. Mohamed Salah entered the pitch in the second half and scored a thunder-blasting hat-trick that knocked out the rivals.

This was the sixth game in the last seven the Reds played with three or more goals, and the same number of events during that stretch saw both teams to net.

Manchester City (-125) played without goals in Copenhagen, earning one point and closing out that contest without spending too much energy. The fact that the Citizens had a player fewer on the pitch due to Sergio Gomez’s red car in the 30th minute didn’t present an issue for Guardiola.

The Spanish manager was unhappy because his team wasted a penalty earlier on, though it didn’t have such a high cost eventually. Haaland was on the bench, because Pep kept him ready for Anfield, while other players who did appear on the field of Parken Stadium had tried not to go full-speed on the hosts.

Manchester City didn’t lose for 13 consecutive clashes, posting ten wins and three draws. This was also the third in a row with them keeping clean sheets, the fifth in the past seven encounters, which means that the back line reached its form early on.

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Mendy is suspended for the guests, and Phillips is injured, the same as Walker and Stones.

Head to Head Games

When these two sides meet, we usually see fireworks and goals. Liverpool won 3-1 in the Community Shield, which was the latest meeting between these rivals. Previously, they faced three times in the 2021/22 year, two of them concluded with a draw, and Liverpool eliminated the Citizens from the FA Cup semis, 3-2.

The latest six games were with goals on both ends, while the previous five all saw over four goals.

Prediction

This derby carries a lot of significance for both units, though, it doesn’t mean that either side is going to be cautious and defensive-minded. Simply, this philosophy isn’t involved here because both clubs prefer to attack and score goals. That’s why our first pick is over 1.5 HT; the second would be over 3.5 scores.

Pick: Over 1.5 HT +110