March is the month that will shape the title race the most this year, having Manchester City face off against Liverpool and Arsenal. First up is an away trip to Anfield where Guardiola has only won once in seven games. Will the Klopp farewell tour be knocked off it’s track as Guardiola leads his warriors to four in a row?

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Starting Point

Notable Injuries:

• Manchester City will be without Jack Grealish for the game, the exact length of his injury has not been confirmed. Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes will be assessed this weekend.

• Liverpool expect Joe Gomez to be fit, Konate to be assessed this weekend. Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai and Salah are all available for selection. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Thiago and Gravenberch all remain on the sidelines.

Interesting Stats:

• In the five previous games between the two sides in all competitions, Manchester City have won two, drawn one and lost two.

• Manchester City have beaten Liverpool at Anfield once (1-4, 2021) under Pep Guardiola. The rest of the games played at Anfield in the Premier League have result in two draws and four defeats.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Preview

Premier League

General Thoughts:

• Kyle Walker was rested against Copenhagen along with Nathan Ake so I’d expect both of those to come in at the weekend. Ake dealing with Salah and Walker against Diaz. We will need both sharp all game to have a chance of a win.

• Kovacic is seen as the leading candidate for the empty spot in the front six. Doku and Nunes facing last minute checks rule them out of a start. Alvarez can be great option for us chasing the game off the bench rather than starting in midfield when we need control. Kovacic will help Rodri get free from the Liverpool press, look for balls over the top into Haaland and push forward to support either Bernardo or Foden on the LW. Question becomes do you want to target a weakness.

• Erling Haaland didn’t score in the last game we played at Anfield, battling with VVD and missing chances. He will relish this battle. Despite being top goal scorer this season he has had the chances to be miles ahead of those behind him. Sunday afternoon he needs to be ruthless.

• De Bruyne not having the decisive impact at United that Foden had, will be fresh for the game on Sunday afternoon and key to getting the best out of Erling Haaland. Up against two CBs top of their game this season in Konate and VVD.

• John Stones was rested for this game, how much he is allowed to roam forward will be interesting to see in the first half. City will not want to completely expose the backline to likes of Salah, Diaz and Nunez on the break, even with Walker in the team. Could see a more measured approach with Kovacic in the midfield or push on if another plays starts instead.

• How much do City play on the transition against Liverpool, akin to their performance away against Arsenal (22/23) by using Haaland and De Bruyne to break. Robertson pushing forward will leave them exposed to that.

• Substitute options could be the match winner on Sunday, City having possibly Alvarez and Doku bring on whilst Liverpool have a depleted bench through injuries.

• A lot of Liverpool success this season going forward comes from central overloads that Trent inverting brings. Without him, Klopp has tried quite a few options to find that overload again. That’s where this match really takes place regardless of the talent in either front line. Stop the free man in the midfield to prevent a player like Alexis MC punching balls into the feet of Nunez to break. Robertson being back gets forward a lot, providing a threat but exposing their back 2-2 unit to counter attacks. A weakness Guardiola could explore…

• The other option Guardiola may go with in selection is Alvarez. Having used him several times out wide in recent games, let Stones invert into midfield and Bernado play as an eight. Brings his pressing and running strengths into the side along with his shooting ability. Bernado can rotate with Alvarez on the left side and leave KDB with Foden on the right side. You also could have the link up between him and Foden that has been great throughout this season. Both can play either side giving Guardiola flexibility mid-game. That would look a bit more like this. 👇

Alvarez heatmap against Copenhagen midweek, which could have been Guardiola experimenting with that role.

Opposition Setup:

The balance to strike is yes Liverpool have significant injuries to Trent (who scored the goal at the Etihad) and Alisson, but there is no doubt enough quality on the pitch to punish City. Guardiola winning one game out of seven at Anfield says exactly that. Always a dangerous side to play.

Bradley has put in very good performances at RB, being dangerous when breaking into space and overlapping. Robertson pushes up heigh in attack. Szoboszlai linking up with those two with central rotations, allowing Salah to move inside. How much City push up will only give them confidence of getting a goal on the break with Nunez current form.

Ones to Watch: 

• Manchester City: Bernardo Silva for me sums up exactly how City need to approach the game, with a calm and measured use of the ball. He told the team against United to calm down and that mentality will be needed more so against Liverpool in a ground like Anfield. He always saves his best performances for the scousers.

• Liverpool: Injury returning players are the standout for Liverpool, a few coming on midweek against Sparta whilst others had previously come back too early and got injured again. Are they ready to make an impact? Salah fully fit can change the game at any moment.

Predicted Lineup: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Alvarez, Foden, Haaland

Predicted Score: Liverpool 1 - 2 Manchester City

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