England Premier League
Thursday 3rd January 2019
Kick off at 8pm GMT
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Match Preview:
The biggest and most important fixture of the Premier League season will take place on Thursday evening as the two best sides in the league go head to head at The Etihad.
Premier League champions Manchester City will take on Liverpool who are in 1st place and have a 7 point advantage over them. This is a game so mouthwatering for fans of football that it is guaranteed to be wall to wall viewing up and down the country.
Let’s cut to the chase and that is Manchester City who by their standards have put in a few poor weeks that resulted in losing 3 of 4 games and gave Liverpool the chance to spread their wings and start believing that they will win the league title for the first time since 1990.
City redeemed themselves by beating Southampton 3-1 and thus have given themselves a fighting chance to catch Liverpool. At home City have lost just 1 game all season which was the shock defeat to Crystal Palace and have gained 27 points from 30 available which is a stunning return. But they will be facing a formidable opponent.
Liverpool are the only side after 20 games that are still unbeaten this season. They are in brilliant form winning their last 5 games in a row and their last match was the icing on the cake beating old enemy Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield. The Reds have scored 14 goals in their past 4 matches.
Away from home they have won 80% of their games which is an incredible record and that includes winning their past 4 in a row. They are scoring 2 goals per game on the road and have conceded just 5 all season which is the best in the record in the league.
Team News:
Manchester City: Is Pep Guardiola playing mind games or is Kevin De Bruyne’s muscle injury more serious than first thought. Pep says he has no idea if he will play or not, reports suggest he could make the team. Fabian Delph is out with suspension after his red card v Leicester. Ilkay Gundogan missed the last game with a knock but is expected to be fit for this one.
Liverpool: James Milner should return and will be a big boost for The Reds for this game after a muscle injury has seen the player miss the Christmas period. Alberto Moreno has recovered from a back problem and should be able to make the squad
Head to Head:
Last season Manchester City won this fixture 5-0.
Liverpool have not beaten Manchester City away from home in the league since 2015, and that win was their first since 2008.
In the last 3 league meetings there have been 12 goals.
Earlier this season this fixture ended 0-0 which was the first scoreless draw since between the teams in the league since 2010.
Prediction:
This is the like the 100k interview, impress within minutes to get the job and Pep Guardiola and his side must do in 90 minutes to have any chance to remain champions. Even if they win there will still be a 4 point gap but they will have inflicted Liverpool’s first defeat of the season which could ask many questions of a side who have not tasted defeat this season.The atmospshere will be electric inside the stadium but if we look at the past few weeks, which team has choked and been the under performers? The answer is City. All of the pressure is on them to win and that could give Liverpool an advantage here.
We must remember the last time Guardiola was under pressure against Liverpool, it was the quarter finals of the Champions League, which he and his team lost both legs.
Recommended Betting Tips:
Liverpool to beat Manchester City at 3.50
Anytime goalscorer: Xherdan Shaqiri at 4.00
Red Card in game at 4.00
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