In recent times, Premier League has staged one of the most fiercely-fought rivalries for the ultimate supremacy on English turf, between Manchester City and Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola’s men won the PL title in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Their streak was broken by Jurgen Klopp’s Red army who lifted the coveted trophy after 30 years in the by-gone season.
The two giants of English football started with a fresh slate in the 2020-2021 season. Liverpool’s run at the top of the table was recently broken by an in-form Southampton side.
With a game in hand, the Reds would want to reclaim their top spot on the table, suitably, at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The start of the season hasn’t been desirable for the Cityzens, with several issues plaguing their campaign. They are currently placed 12th on the points table with just 11 points in 6 games.
City dropping seven points this season is a major concern for Guardiola’s ambitions to retain the title and challenge Liverpool.
Moreover, the Spanish tactician will take heart out of the recent form of the unit, where they bagged four wins in the last five games.
They are freshly coming off a 3-0 victory over Olympiakos in the Champions League. City’s attack is bolstered with the return of Gabriel Jesus after injury. The Brazilian striker scored the third goal for City during their recent European tie.
On the other hand, Liverpool is enjoying a five-match winning streak in PL. Diogo Jota has proved to be the signing of the summer for Jurgen Klopp. The Portuguese poacher clinched his first hattrick donning the Reds, during Liverpool’s 5-0 drubbing against Atalanta.
Coming to team news, both Liverpool and Manchester City will miss out on the services of important personnel due to injury.
Guardiola has to work without Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero and Benjamin Mendy in their roster. While, Klopp will be bereft of the defensive masterclass of Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho, who are out due to injuries. Also, Klopp has to fill in the void at the centre with Thiago Alcantra and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain unavailable for the game.
Predicted Lineup
Liverpool:
Alisson Becker, Andrew Robertson, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah
Manchester City:
Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez
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