Man City are in terrible form right now and at the back of a six-game winless streak, Pep Guardiola will now have to take his side to Anfield for a clash against Liverpool.
Liverpool are sitting at the top of the Premier League table with an 8-point lead and with the kind of form they have been showing, Arne Slot’s side will be the overwhelming favourites to win on Sunday.
Manchester City and even Pep Guardiola are facing a crisis for the first time in ages and everyone is waiting to see how the Spanish manager responds to all of this. For the first time in his career, Pep might have to rely on individual brilliance instead of a proper team performance to get back to winning ways which is why we decided to take a look at some of the key battles that will shape the outcome of the Anfield tie.
Liverpool’s defence vs Haaland & De Bruyne:
Konate and Van Dijk have been rock-solid this season but Ibrahima Konate is expected to miss out due to an injury he picked up in the Real Madrid win.
Konate’s absence will be a big headache for Arne Slot and he will now have to put Joe Gomez alongside VVD. Gomez is also a top defender but he will have to majorly pull up his socks in order to keep Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne at bay for the full 90 minutes.
De Bruyne has been massively underwhelming this season but he is still one of the best playmakers in the EPL. Haaland, on the other hand, has netted 12 goals in as many league appearances and if this dynamic duo can find their connection early on, it will be a nightmare for Liverpool’s centre-backs.
Van Dijk is the commander of the backline but Joe Gomez has played just 55 minutes of league football this season.
Erling Haaland goes into Sunday’s game at the back of a brace against Feyenoord and the Norwegian international might earmark Gomez as a weak link.
Lewis and Gundogan vs Liverpool’s creativity:
Rodri is out for the remainder of the season and even Mateo Kovacic is ruled out with a muscle injury. With two key central midfielders unavailable, Pep will most likely use the pairing of Rico Lewis and Gundogan in the CDM roles.
Lewis and Gundogan are top-class players but we have serious doubts about whether they can stand up against the likes of Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai.
This campaign, Salah and Luis Diaz have made 23 goal contributions amongst themselves in the league and if they start quick counter-attacks, Gundogan particularly might not have the pace to keep up. Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai have been playing in the No. 10 role and both of them have been brilliant up until now.
Guardiola also has the option of using Manuel Akanji in the CDM role but we think the Man City manager will keep his faith in Rico Lewis.
Mo Salah vs the Man City left-back:
Despite the fact that Salah is in the final year of his contract, the Egyptian international is having a stellar season with Liverpool. In 12 league appearances for the Reds, Mo Salah has already scored 10 goals with an xG of 8.43.
The winger has also created 22 major chances and his 12 league goals have come from just 25 shots on target.
He will be marshalled by Josko Gvardiol and this is a major issue for Pep Guardiola. The left-back has given away 4 goals in his last two appearances and he is one of the primary reasons why Manchester City have conceded 17 goals in their last six matches.
Mo Salah will be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on Gvardiol one-on-one on Sunday and if the Man City full-back cannot get his thoughts together, the Liverpool superstar will run riot in front of his home crowd.
