Manchester City will be travelling down to Anfield to face Liverpool on the 16th of October. The match between the two ‘big’ teams is highly anticipated. This article gives a brief insight into both clubs and who is most likely to win the match.
Manchester City
The five-time Premier League winner has delivered incredible performances so far in the 2022/23 season. The new signing, Erling Haaland, has taken The English Premier League by storm. He has torn apart defenders and become every defender’s nightmare. Manchester City, however, didn’t always terrify its opponents.
Manchester City suffered relegation numerous times and was on the brink of collapse. The journey to recovery and dominance began in 2016 when Pep Guardiola became the manager of the club.
The 2022/23 season has seen City play fantastic football. Although lacking in the area of defence as there are only two good defenders in the team, Rodri and Ederson Santana de Moraes. However, Manchester City can get away with this shortcoming by playing intense, aggressive and possessive football which most times overwhelms their opponents.
In terms of players, Manchester City boasts of some of the best professionals to have ever graced English football. Two of Manchester City’s players, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, play incredible offensive football with amazing results. Erling Haaland has 15 goals so far, while Foden has 6 goals.
Liverpool
Coach Jurgen Klopp, famous for his counter-pressing style of play, known as “gegenpressen” has managed to transform Liverpool from its trophyless days to a Premier and Champions League winner. As a testament to Klopp’s fantastic work in the club, the Reds began the 2022/23 season on a wonderful note, winning the Community Shield Cup.
Over the years spent at Liverpool, Klopp managed to build a resilient defence. However, despite starting the 2022/23 season on an exciting note, with some new signings like Darwin Nunez, Liverpool’s performance has been below expectation. The defence has been open with full-back Alexander-Arnold seriously out of touch, delivering sloppy passes and centre-back Virgil van Dijk getting rusty in the defensive department. Mohammed Salah has been unable to produce results by scoring much-needed goals despite being the highest-paid player in the club. Darwin Nunez has been unable to do the one thing he was purchased for; score goals. So far, he has only managed to score three measly goals. The departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich has further exposed the vulnerability of the Reds.
Despite all the shortcomings, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz have both been fantastic, with Firmino scoring 8 goals across all tournaments. However, Luis Diaz, Arthur, and Andrew Robertson all have injuries that will keep them away from the showdown at Anfield on Sunday.
Bookmaker Odds
Manchester City and Liverpool have played at Anfield 26 times, and out of the 26 meetings, Liverpool won 17 times, Manchester City won twice and ended the match in a draw 7 times. This shows Liverpool has an edge while playing at home in Anfield.
So far in the 2022/23 season, Liverpool has not lost any of the 6 home games, and neither has Manchester City lost any of their 9 away games.
Betway gives 1.77 odds for Manchester City to win and 4.00 for Liverpool. Bet365 also offers 1.75 for Manchester City and 4.20 for Liverpool. Bet365 comes with the best sign-up offer compared to the other bookies, and that’s why this bookmaker is highly recommended. Compared to other bookies, Bet365 offers some of the best competitive odds.
Who is likely to win?
Compared to Manchester City, Liverpool has the better defence. Based on stats, Liverpool, so far, has made 322 interceptions and 23 blocks. Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s defenders, are known to put up an impressive performance.
Manchester City has a Pass Progression Value (PPV) of 0.43 while Liverpool has 0.38, which puts City’s mid-field above Liverpool’s.
In terms of attack, Manchester City’s expected goal value per 90 minutes is 4.69, while that of Liverpool is 3.31. So far in the season, Liverpool has 20 goals and 52 shots on goal. Manchester City, in its corner, has 33 goals and 64 shots on goals.
Manchester City is a top choice to win the match. Liverpool may, however, put up a shocking performance since the match is in their home, Anfield.