Liverpool Predicted Lineup VS Manchester City | Premier League
Manchester City are set to travel west to face the current Premier League leaders in Liverpool. Arne Slot's men have enjoyed a historic start to the season, notching seventeen wins from nineteen total games across all competitions, undefeated away from home, undefeated in the UEFA Champions League, and only suffering one loss in the Premier League which occurred almost three months ago.
Liverpool are currently eight points clear of their Manchester rivals, with the opportunity to go eleven clear of Manchester City and remain nine points clear of Arsenal.
Arne Slot enters this fixture undefeated in his last fifteen outings in all competitions. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City however, have yet to record a win since October 26th, losing six of their last seven and scuppering a three-goal lead to Arne Slot's former side, Feyenoord, during their midweek Champions League clash.
Form, however, does not come into play when these two titans of the last number of years meet, with each team expected to be fired up for the affair and a stellar game expected.
Team News
Liverpool
Arne Slot spoke to the media during the week about the injuries of Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate. We have also seen Federico Chiesa return to full team training during the week. Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to be fully fit to face Manchester City at Anfield for the first time in four years. But there are some key absences in the squad.
Alisson Becker(Hamstring), Conor Bradley(Hamstring), Ibrahima Konate(Knee Injury), Kostas Tsimikas(Ankle Injury), Diogo Jota(Rib Injury)
Manchester City
The Blue Side of Manchester is also dealing with its fair share of injuries, having lost their star midfielder, Rodri, for the remainder of the season, they also have some depth issues for their squad.
John Stones(Muscle Injury), Mateo Kovacic(Muscle Injury), Rodri(Cruciate Ligament Injury), Jeremy Doku(Thigh Injury), Oscar Bobb(Broken Leg)
Predicted Teams
Liverpool - (4-2-3-1)
GK - Caoimhin Kelleher: With Alisson nearing his return to the first team, Kelleher has not slowed down, a monstrous clean sheet against Real Madrid midweek, which included a penalty save - the first Liverpool player in almost 130 years to save three consecutive penalties in a row for club and country - and his confidence should be sky high. I expect another defensive effort from Caoimh and his back line in this outing as Machester City can't seem to get it going through their midfield issues. This has left Haaland starving for quality chances in the last number of games.
RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold: With Conor Bradley having suffered a late hamstring issue in the midweek Champions League clash with Real Madrid, Trent is now back up to match fitness and set to appear for the first time in this fixture in the last four years. It's a shame Bradley is not able to feature in this game, as his performance during the week left some questioning whether Trent should start at all.
CB - Joe Gomez: Ibrahima Konate, with essentially the last kick of the game, suffered what is being reported as an MCL injury. This injury is due to keep the Frenchman sidelined for over a month, a major loss to the defensive efforts of Liverpool for this timeframe. But, luckily, we have experience and youthful exuberance on the sidelines in the form of Joe Gomez, the elder statesman and longest-serving Liverpool player, and Jarell Quansah, the up-and-coming star we are all excited to see develop. There is also Amara Nallo, the youth prospect who is expected to break through to the first team soon. But for this fixture, experience is everything, so Gomez gets the nod.
CB - Virgil van Dijk: With Ibrahima Konate due to miss an extended spell from injury, the responsibility of the back-line rests even more on the shoulders of the captain. A leader of men who will no doubt rally the troop and continue Liverpool's incredible defensive record so far this season. Still the best in the Premier League with just eight goals conceded.
LB - Andrew Robertson: Robbo loves big games, never more evident than his performance midweek against Real Madrid. Lots of questions came about possibly starting Joe Gomez ahead of the Scottish international, but those were quickly silenced in the first half of the clash. Robertson had the best game of the season so far on Wednesday night and given the size and impact of today's game, we would expect the same outcome also.
CDM - Ryan Gravenberch: Facing a Real Madrid midfield of Camavinga, Bellingham, and Modric, the young 22-year-old Dutch international was unphased. Dominating the midfield and running the show for most of the game. Providing a release valve for the defense when being pressed and driving the ball forward to flip the side and create transitional chances for Liverpool. Seven passes into the final third, a 92% passing accuracy tally, and a couple of interceptions to wrap up an unbelievable performance we have just come to expect from the young midfielder. Player of the Year should not be off the cards for Gravenberch just yet. Expect his performance to continue against a Manchester City midfield currently lacking in legs and depth.
CDM - Curtis Jones: One of the best midfielders on the pitch during the week, Jones, Gravenberch, and Mac Allister essentially ran the show against the Real Madrid midfield. Playing passes at will, creating space, and driving through the lines along with being impressively press-resistant. Jones was a key component in this press resistance, his ability to hold onto the ball allowed the attack to get set and created chances. A criticism to have of the young Scouser is that he does not release the ball quick enough to play the attacking-midfielder role, hence the switch back to the double pivot. This will allow a massive level of control in the central areas with Gravenberch also in the same vein of press resistance.
CAM - Alexis Mac Allister: When being the more advanced midfielder of the three, Mac Allister was deadly. Just sitting outside the box, the ability to create with quick short passes and following through with runs into the box, a natural attacking midfielder. This was shown in Liverpool's first goal. Received the ball on the outside of the area, quick one-two pass with Conor Bradley, and a fantastic finish with a man on his hip to beat Courtois, who looked unbeatable on Wednesday night. With how weak the Manchester City midfield currently is, and the lack of running they are capable of, expect to see Mac Allister in a similar role of advancement to create space and penetration with his passes in behind and follow-through runs.
RW - Mohamed Salah: A missed penalty chance midweek might have some worried the confidence of Mohamed Salah was knocked slightly. However, we do not think so. Salah is a big game player, and there has been no bigger game so far this season than the upcoming fixture with Manchester City. I would expect Salah to be back to his goal-creating self to extend his lead as the top goal contributor in the Premier League.
ST - Darwin Nunez: Following a stellar game against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, where if any other goalkeeper was playing other than Courtois, Nunez has at least two goals to his name. Pressing immensely and dropping into midfield to provide link-up play and progressive carrying, Nunez seems to be coming into his own on this front. Where some would have said he would fail to adapt to the new style of play and fall out of favor with the new Head Coach, it seems the opposite is true. Granted, Jota and Chiesa have both been injured to this point, but Darwin has taken the chance he has been presented with and is essentially performing the Bobby Firmino role and playing a hybrid between a False 9 and an actual striker, depending on the side they play. Expect more of the same in this outing with a possible return on his hard work.
LW - Luis Diaz: With the Manchester City back line being depleted on the right-hand side, and the only real option that is played there is Kyle Walker, we would expect the right side of Manchester City's flank to be the most attacked in this fixture. Diaz with his dribbling ability and pace, along with Darwin's pace and ability to break the lines will create canyons of space to have chances. The Colombian may end up grabbing some returns in this fixture.
Manchester City - (3-2-4-1)
Ederson, Ake, Dias, Gvardiol, Akanji, Gundogan, Silva, Nunez, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
Key Players
Luis Diaz - 18 Apps, 9 Goals, 2 Assists
With how badly out of pace the right-hand flank of Manchester City is, Kyle Walker has lost multiple steps of pace and the other defenders outside of Gvardiol are not much better, however, the Croatian will find himself on the left-hand side of the City starting XI. We can see both Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz feasting from the left-wing position in this game, interchanging to create chaos and mismatches within the defensive line of Manchester City.
Erling Haaland - 20 Apps, 18 Goals, 0 Assists
While Haaland has been quiet of late, it does not silence the worries of most that without Ibrahima Konate, the defensive job of holding him to a quiet game gets harder. With a center-back pairing of Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, they will have their hands full with the Manchester City forward. Haaland almost averages a goal per game so far this season, and while he has returned minimal in the last number of outings, the most recent, against Arne Slot's former team Feyenoord, he grabbed himself two goals, one from play and one from the penalty spot. The level of success he has against the Reds will determine a massive portion of this game.
Match Details
Anfield
Sun 1 December,16:00
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (pictured). Assistants: Lee Betts, Darren Cann. Fourth official: Anthony Taylor. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Tim Wood.
Match Prediction
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City
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