On Saturday, we are set to witness several phenomenal matches across Europe, and the highlight seems to be the central duel at the Etihad where Manchester City and Liverpool will measure their strengths. This will also be a clash between the first and second-placed teams in the table, as well as a meeting between the two main contenders for the English Premier League title. The match is scheduled to start at 1:30 PM.
Manchester City: Is it time for the first home defeat?
We’ve often mentioned that it seemed hardly possible for City to have a better season than last year, when the popular Citizens won three trophies, most notably the Champions League, a long-standing goal of the club ever since it was acquired by its wealthy owners. Despite not seeming likely, Pep Guardiola’s men managed to overcome a significant lead by Arsenal, who had a nine-point advantage in the first part of the championship, but when it mattered most, Manchester City shifted into high gear and clinched another championship title. The third trophy was won in the FA Cup, following a victory over city rivals Manchester United, and it’s certain that this team, led by probably the best coach of today, is the main favorite for trophies in the Champions League and Premier League, but let’s take it step by step.
Before the season started, City played against Arsenal in the Community Shield final and suffered a defeat, as the London team was better after penalties, thus getting at least some revenge on the Citizens for last season’s title, which at one point seemed “in the bag” for the Gunners. As for the top tier of English football, we can safely say that things are going as planned, as City is currently in first place, albeit with just a one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool, who are visiting the table leaders this round, so there’s no doubt a real spectacle awaits.
In the last round, the Citizens drew in an incredible match at Chelsea, where we saw eight goals, ending 4-4, and there’s no doubt that it was the best match in the current course of the world’s top league. In the Champions League, the English representative has already secured a place in the knockout phase, as Pep Guardiola’s pupils have a perfect twelve points from four matches and soon face a duel against Leipzig, which will determine which of these two teams will advance to the round of 16 from the top spot, automatically bringing a somewhat easier opponent.
What’s not good is that Pep Guardiola faces significant squad problems, as the Spanish expert, in addition to De Bruyne and Stones, will most likely not be able to count on Haaland, Ederson, Ake, Gomez, Kovacic, and Nunes for this clash against Liverpool.
Liverpool: The Reds are highly motivated!
It’s certain that everyone will want to quickly forget the last season, as Liverpool, after quite some time, failed to qualify for the Champions League, which has been the primary goal of the English giant for many years. In the end, the Reds had to settle for fifth place in the table, which brings a spot in the Europa League, and it’s certain that Jürgen Klopp’s squad is the main favorite to win this second-tier European club competition. Speaking of which, after four rounds, Liverpool is at the top of the table with a five-point lead over third-placed Saint Gilloise, meaning the English representative has practically already secured a spot in the knockout phase of the Europa League, which was never really in doubt.
However, in the last round, the former European champion unnecessarily complicated things for themselves with a defeat at Toulouse (3:2). It’s worth mentioning that Jürgen Klopp used this match to rest his key players for the upcoming challenges in the Premier League. Certainly, everyone in the club wants to make it up to the fans for the dismal performances of the last season, and the primary goal will undoubtedly be the English Premier League title, which will not be an easy task. Currently, the Reds are in second place in the table, just one point behind Manchester City, whom they are visiting this round.
So far, the former English champions have played twelve league matches, achieving eight victories, three draws, and one defeat, which was away at Tottenham with a 2:1 score. In the last round, the Reds celebrated at home against the not-so-easy Brentford, winning the match at Anfield 3:0 without much trouble. This has kept Liverpool’s perfect record at home, as Klopp’s pupils have won all six matches played there. However, away matches are a significant problem, where the second-placed team has two wins, three draws, and one loss in six encounters.
Finally, Jürgen Klopp has far fewer squad problems than his counterpart at Manchester City, as the German expert will not be able to count on Robertson, Thiago, and Bajcetic for this clash, while Konate, Gomez, and Gravenberch are doubtful.
Our Betting Suggestions
What should not be doubted for a single second here are the goals, so we recommend you try the over 2.5 goals bet, for which the Mozzartbet has prepared odds of 1.45.
City has significant squad problems ahead of this duel, and on top of that, the last round’s match showed that the current English champions have quite a few problems in their defensive line this season. Therefore, it’s very possible that Liverpool remains undefeated in arguably the toughest away game in the Premier League, which is why we advise you to try the double chance X2 bet, for which Mozzartbet offers excellent odds of 2.13.
Finally, perhaps the most realistic expectation is that both teams score at least one goal each in this match at the Etihad, so we advise you to try the both teams to score (gg) bet with an odds of 1.48.
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