It’s all eyes on The Etihad come Sunday afternoon, as two Premier League titans come to blows in the biggest game of the season so far. Another edition of Pep v Klopp, as Man City host Premier League champions Liverpool in a mouthwatering Super Sunday fixture.
After a week dominated by results in The US, this weekend sees the two main candidates for Premier League champions, the blue of City and the red of Liverpool, go toe-to-toe in war, hoping to get the majority of the chances, and swing the result in their favour. But who will end Sunday as champions elect?
Neither side is in top form, but both teams will be looking to bring their A-game, with the chance to deal that first psychological blow in what is likely to be the main fight for the title. Liverpool sit in 2nd but can leapfrog Southampton to the top of the table with a win at The Etihad. City, however, sit mid-table after a couple of concerning results. They are just 5 points behind the champions with a game in hand, so will be looking to deal a big blow to The Reds, and begin their ascent to the top.
As both teams begin to take their game up a gear going into the winter period, now is the perfect time to go head-to-head and test their true quality against one-another. Will it be tight? Probably. Will there be quality? Definitely. Will we see goals? Hopefully…
Team News
City have played the majority of the season so far without a recognised striker, opting for more of a free role at the top of the pitch for either Ferran Torres or Riyad Mahrez. A huge boost came midweek however, as Gabriel Jesus came off the bench, and bagged himself a goal within 12 minutes in City’s 3–0 win against Olympiakos. He is expected to be fit to feature come Sunday, giving Pep the option to start with a proper striker.
Unfortunately, City’s main man Sergio Aguero will not be fit for Sunday’s clash. Hopes were high amongst City fans after seeing the Argentinian in training during the week, however the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last couple of weeks has not fully gone, and as we have seen so many times, it’s imperative not to rush Aguero back to full match-speed.
Pep has also advised that both Benjamin Mendy and Fernandinho will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future, however no new injury concerns have been reported.
Liverpool’s main line-up dilemma centres around the outstanding summer signing Diogo Jota, and his attempts to break into the seemingly impenetrable front three. The Portuguese winger is proving one of the signings of the summer after he topped off an already great start to the season with a midweek hat-trick against Atalanta, sparking debate that he should start ahead of Roberto Firmino.
With an expected goals per 90 mins (xG/90) of 0.95, which he is actually outperforming (1.26 goals per 90), Jota seems the clear option Jurgen Klopp. Firmino is clearly mis-firing; with an xG/90 of just 0.42, which he is still not managing to reach with just 1 goal in 736 minutes (0.12 goals per 90).
But with Liverpool it’s never that simple. Firmino brings so much to their team dynamic and leads the press which has become such a fundamental part of their identity. It’ll be interesting to see who Klopp goes for come Sunday. A good headache to have.
No fresh injury concerns for Jurgen Klopp, who will be without Virgil Van-Dijk, Fabinho, Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Joel Matip is fit again and ready to slot in at centre-back alongside Joe Gomez.
Tactical Preview
City, being the home side and perhaps better equipped side, will look to dominate the ball and play out from the back in characteristic style. Liverpool are renowned for their high press but without the insurance of a Van-Dijk or a Fabinho at the back, and potentially without Firmino leading the line (decision pending), there may be a slight disruption or a level of caution in the press.
City’s back line are more than capable of playing out of any press, and should they be sharp enough, they can work around the press and exploit the masses of space left in behind a high Liverpool line. As Firmino (or Jota) shadows Rodri in the centre, and the two wingers attempt to push onto City’s two centre-backs, it opens up opportunities for a lofted chip from Ederson to either advancing full-back. This is where City can bypass the press most effectively.
Liverpool’s central midfield will be occupied by De Bruyne and one of Silva or Gundogan, giving the City full-backs the opportunity to bomb forward and create overloads with their wingers vs Liverpool’s full-backs.
Pep’s famous overloads look particularly effective on the right. Kyle Walker has been outstanding this season and is giving Alexander-Arnold a run for his money as one of the best attacking full-backs in the league. With Kevin De Bruyne drifting wide to offer a 3v2 overload with Walker and Mahrez, space will inevitably open up for his trademark cross from deep into the dreaded no mans land. And with a recognised goalscorer finally available, success is likely.
With City looking to dominate the ball — and dominate territory — Klopp’s side will be eyeing up the ample space in behind for their rapid counter-attacks.
A successful result will be the product of successful transitions, as The Reds will look to win the ball in their defensive third, before launching slick moves forward in the hope that they will catch City unorganised and high up the pitch.
As soon as Liverpool pick up possession, a trigger is flicked. A light switch comes on as Sadio Mane and Mo Salah spin their markers and bomb in behind almost instinctively. It’s usually Van-Dijk who has the quality to spray the initial ball, but without him, Liverpool will be looking to Alexander-Arnold or Jordan Henderson to set them off.
Up the other side of the pitch, Mane and Salah will find themselves amongst a potentially unorganised, and slightly panicked City back line. Perfect. As the cavalry race to join them, they will be looking to produce that moment of magic which we’ve become so accustom to. Mane may struggle 1v1 against Walker so will be hoping to catch him high up the pitch, opting to isolate Rodri or Ruben Dias out wide.
Salah will fancy himself big time against Joao Cancelo, and Laporte will have a huge role to play in covering the full-back, should he find himself caught out.
Another key aspect to some of Liverpool’s more measured build up play is Alexander-Arnold. This tactic also highlights the importance of Firmino’s more unselfish positional play brilliantly. As Henderson pulls out wide it opens up a direct vertical passing lane from Alexander-Arnold to Firmino. The ball can be played directly into Firmino, or more unselfishly, he can pull out and drag his marker out with him. This opens up the space in behind for Mane to make the run, and we all know Alexander-Arnold has the quality to find him.
Sunday will be a game of chess, 100%. It may, however, be one of the most exciting games of chess we’ve ever seen (I haven’t seen many). Another edition of Pep vs Klopp. City vs Liverpool. Blues vs Reds. It’s sure to be a classic.
Likely City team: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
Kyle’s prediction: I think City are going to take this one. Just. They finally have some stability at the back with Ruben Dias settling in quickly alongside Aymeric Laporte. Liverpool are quite the opposite and whilst Gomez and Matip are quality, they aren’t Van-Dijk. I’m going 3–1 City.
[23 Year Old Kyle Newbould is one of the best up and coming football journalists and we’ve managed to snap him up before any of the big tabloids do! This will not affect the TIPS in any way, shape, or form. Simply an excellent addition for us all, giving us that extra focus on the big games when I’m sometimes caught up in the Lower Leagues around the world!]
JOIN THE UPPER 90 TIPS TELEGRAM GROUP TODAY
Today you can take advantage of a 10-Day-Free Trial followed by 50% OFF all future Monthly payments. 95% of Sports Bettors lose money long term, Start your journey to the 5%.
