Man City - Liverpool: In the way of the champion?
* Man City - Liverpool: 6:30pm today, on MetaSports.
Liverpool has been the most formidable opponent to Man City in the Premier League over the past few years. Last season, Jurgen Klopp's teachers and students dreamed of a treble, but in the end only won the League Cup and FA Cup. In the Champions League, they lost to Real in the final, while in the Premier League, Liverpool finished with only one point behind Man City.
The decline makes the season empty-handed appear in front of Liverpool, when they have been eliminated in all Cup competitions, and have lost all hope of competing for the title in the English Premier League. In the same period last season, Liverpool are now 30 points behind themselves. This season, Klopp's teachers and students did not play well away when they only won 12 points in 13 matches away from home, lost seven and lost six times in those matches.
However, Liverpool still have goals to strive for when coming to Etihad today. Klopp's teachers and students need points to keep their hopes up in the top 4 when they are seven points behind Tottenham but have played less than two games. This makes Liverpool an unpredictable unknown. If it is possible to recreate the performance that helped them win Man Utd 7-0, Liverpool can play the role of a roadblock, significantly impacting the championship race situation - where Man City is eight points behind Arsenal at the top.
"The paramount nature of this game makes it no different from previous encounters. Man City deserves respect and Liverpool must not be allowed to think about other games. Obviously, we need a top performance. high against Man City. Liverpool need to defend at the top and know how to deploy the game. That's normal that we understand, "Klopp said.
Man City is under great pressure this match because if they drop points, the eight-point gap between them and Arsenal is likely to widen. If they win, Pep Guardiola's teachers and students will push the pressure on the opponent, before Arsenal take on Leeds. Man City have won the last six matches in all competitions. But the question is whether Guardiola's men can maintain their form after two weeks of players returning to the national team.
Etihad's home ground will be a fulcrum for Man City, because they have only lost one of the last 13 times against Liverpool here. That defeat has been since November 2015, under Manuel Pellegrini, with a score of 1-4. But Liverpool know how to beat the defending champions. They have done it 23 times in Premier League history, more than any other team. The most recent was a 1-0 victory in the first leg in October thanks to a goal from Mohamed Salah.
"The success of Man City in the past means nothing at this point. What happens to Liverpool can happen to us in the coming years. When it happens, the best way is quickly. find a solution in two or three weeks. I don't believe in past success. The only thing I believe in is the solution in the present, "said Guardiola.
Man City waits for Erling Haaland to recover from his injury to play after the 22-year-old striker was absent from the recent gathering with the Norwegian team. Phil Foden is sidelined until May so will be absent. On the Liverpool side, the match is too early with Thiago, Calvin Ramsay, Stefan Bajcetic or Joe Gomez. But Luis Diaz, who has been absent since October last year, could return. Darwin Nunez and Kostas Tsimikas need to wait for the results of their medical tests to see if they can compete.
