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Liverpool vs Manchester City: Premier League Preview, H2H & Predicted Line-ups

Sunday’s Premier League action concludes at Anfield as Liverpool and Manchester City go head-to-head in a blockbuster Premier League fixture.

While the Reds made light work of their Champions League trip to Porto, the Cityzens found themselves on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline at Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool will have revenge on their minds when they face-off direct title rivals in this heavyweight top-of-the-table six-pointer.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Head-to-Head

Although they held Man City to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in the first half of last season, Liverpool collapsed in the reverse fixture, falling to a thumping 4-1 defeat at Anfield in February.

That loss ended Liverpool’s remarkable 17-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League meetings with this opposition (W12, D5), with the Reds last losing back-to-back league H2Hs at Anfield in 1953.

However, the recent H2H stakes heavily favour the Cityzens, who are unbeaten in five of their last six top-flight clashes against the Merseyside heavyweights (W3, D2, L1).

Liverpool Preview

Despite their recent struggle against Man City, Liverpool enter this fixture in high spirits following an overwhelming 5-1 away victory over Porto in the Champions League.

An enthralling 3-3 away draw with the Premier League newbies Brentford last time out threw a spanner in the works, albeit it kept the Reds’ formidable 16-game unbeaten league streak going (W12, D4). 

Jurgen Klopp’s side head into proceedings as the only side in the Premier League yet to lose a top-flight match this season (W4, D2) and boast the division-best 15-goal scoring tally.

Barring a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea in late August, Liverpool have netted 2+ goals in their remaining five league outings this term, getting on the scoresheet before half-time on each occasion.

Klopp’s men have been equally impressive at the back, conceding just four goals across their first six Premier League fixtures this term, three of which came in the abovementioned draw with Brentford.

Player to watch: Mohamed Salah

Salah has enjoyed a stellar start to the season, bagging five goals and assisting two in his first six Premier League appearances this term.

Additionally, the Egyptian dynamo has been nothing short of outstanding against Man City at home lately, scoring four and assisting two across his last five competitive matches against this opposition at Anfield.

Fresh from putting two past Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, the 29-year-old will be aiming to maintain his scoring spree against the Cityzens.

Manchester City Preview

Man City eked out a tight 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last time out to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to five matches (W3, D2).

Since succumbing to a lacklustre 1-0 away loss to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening Premier League weekend, Pep Guardiola’s men have kept a clean sheet in their subsequent five league outings.

In addition to boasting the league’s best defence, it’s worth noting that the reigning English champions have prevented their opponents from attempting a single shot on target in three of their six top-flight fixtures this season.

However, entertainment has been relatively sparse in City’s Premier League matches on the road this term, with all three yielding the identical 1-0 scoreline (W2, L1).

Seeking his third consecutive top-flight away victory, Guardiola takes on Klopp, who has inflicted more managerial defeats (eight) on his City counterpart than any other manager.

Player to watch: Raheem Sterling

After enjoying a sensational European Championship campaign with England, Sterling has struggled to impress early in the season, recording just one goal in his six league appearances.

But the 26-year-old winger has found the net in two of his last three Premier League outings against Liverpool, having drawn a blank in his first eight versus his former employers.

Sterling could become the second-ever player to score in back-to-back Premier League fixtures at Anfield having previously featured for Liverpool in the competition.

The last player to achieve that feat was Nicolas Anelka in 2003 and 2004.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Predicted Line-ups

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; James Milner, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Curtis Jones; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Phil Foden; Gabriel Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish.

Read: 2021/22 Premier League Matchday 7 – Preview & Predictions.

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