A thrilling battle for the Premier League title! Is Liverpool or Manchester City the favourite?

The fight in the Premier League is getting more dramatic. Manchester City have lost a comfortable eight-point lead at the top. Second-placed Liverpool, on the other hand, are in great form. What factors will decide the title fight?

Liverpool were still a seemingly unassailable 8 points behind Manchester City at the start of the year. Since then, however, the Reds have won all 9 matches, while the first Manchester City has lost 7 points.

But what factors could play a major role in the title fight?

The return leg

In the matches between Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years, the home advantage has usually decided the match. Therefore, Pep Guardiola’s charges could have a theoretical advantage.

Jürgen Klopp has only managed to beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League once since the summer of 2015, when he settled on the Liverpool bench. However, he has yet to beat Guardiola himself away from home in the Premier League. Manchester City’s last match at their home stadium ended in a 1-1 draw

The mutual measurements of these two teams in the autumn also ended amicably, but this time with a 2: 2 result. In an attractive match at Anfield, Manchester City managed to close the gap twice.

Next weeks programme

The luck is more in favour of the Citizens. In the last 9 league matches, Liverpool will have a derby with Manchester United and a tough match against Tottenham. While Pep Guardiola’s charges are not expecting such tough games.

Both teams have also advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Friday’s draw in Nyon saw Manchester City take on Atlético Madrid and Liverpool play Benfica of Portugal. Advancing in the Champions League means an even tougher schedule for both teams.

Variability in attack

The arrival of Colombian winger Luis Díaz appears to be key for Liverpool. The Porto reinforcement has immediately adapted well to Jürgen Klopp’s very demanding system.

Liverpool now have 5 very good options in attack in the form of Salah, Mané, Jota, Firmino and the newly arrived Díaz.

Manchester City don’t have that quality in attack. However, it must be said that their offensive phase is much more dependent on the midfield. There they can rely on the reliable Kevin de Bruyne, for example.

Source: Premier League