Manchester City versus Liverpool, the battle for the title. Who will come close to winning the Premier League?

On Sunday afternoon we have a Premier League game with a capital Z. Manchester City will welcome Liverpool in a direct duel for the title, they have a single point lead in the table and there are 8 rounds left in the league. Who will come closest to the title?

Both teams tuned up for the crucial duel in the Champions League winning week. Manchester City beat Atlético Madrid 1-0 at home, Liverpool had to travel to Lisbon where they beat Benfica 3-1.

In terms of form in the standalone Premier League, Liverpool are better off. The latter has won its last 10 games in the league, last losing points on 2 January for a draw with Chelsea. In addition, they have a 13:0 record in their last five games.

It was the Citizens who had a perfect autumn, leading the table by a big margin and the title seemed to be decided. However, Guardiola’s team started to lose and now there is only one point difference between the two teams.

This match may give a clue as to who will be the Premier League rulers. If Manchester wins, they will jump to 4 points and would probably keep the trophy. Moreover, by the end of the league it already has a very acceptable draw, it will only face West Ham in the top 6. Liverpool still has to beat Manchester United and Tottenham.

The autumn clash between Klopp and Guardiola offered a great spectacle, especially the second half. Mané opened the scoring, Foden replied to his goal. 15 minutes before the end Salah sent the Reds back into the lead, in the 81st minute De Bruyne equalised for the final 2:2.

But that was at Anfield Road. Liverpool have not been doing well at the Etihad Stadium lately. The latest results are 1-1, 4-0 and 2-1. The last time the Reds won at the Citizens Stadium was in the 2018 Champions League quarter-finals (1::2). But in the Premier League before that, City won 5: 0 and drew 1: 1 at their stadium.

Thus, Liverpool’s last Premier League win at the Etihad Stadium dates back to 2015. Back then, the 4::1 win was scored by Coutinho, Firmino, Skrtel and an own goal scored by Mangala.

So Liverpool have to work hard to put themselves in a good position for the rest of the league. Anything can happen, but making up a four-point lead would not be pleasant.

Source: Premier League