LIV vs MNC: Watch Livestream link below 👇🏽👇🏽

 

LIV vs MNC: Watch Livestream link below 👇🏽👇🏽

Manchester City will be looking to end a miserable six-game winless run in all competitions when they travel to Anfield for a challenging test against Premier League leaders, Liverpool, today.

 

The Citizens may have seen their five-game losing streak come to an end on Tuesday night, but they threw away a three-goal lead with less than 15 minutes remaining to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champi­ons League.

 

 

 

 

Pep Guardiola’s side, which has struggled with injuries for several weeks, have lost each of their last three Premier League games and have subsequently slipped eight points behind an in-form Liverpool at the sum­mit.

 

 

 

 

It is obviously true that Guardiola is facing a crisis at Manchester City in the eyes of many, and not since his first season in charge of the club back in 2016-17 has the Catalan coach been questioned in the way he is being right now.

 

 

 

 

Indeed, the Citizens have come under intense scrutiny after that astonishing collapse against Feyenoord in the Cham­pions League on Tuesday night, throwing away a three-goal lead with less than 15 minutes re­maining to draw 3-3 at the Eti­had Stadium.

 

 

 

 

Man City’s late capitulation against Feyenoord underlines the scale of the ongoing crisis within Guardiola’s squad, who had previously suffered five consecutive defeats in all com­petitions, including three suc­cessive losses in the Premier League.

 

 

 

 

A heavy 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last week­end leaves Man City eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who welcome a wounded and injury-plagued Citizens outfit to Anfield for an intriguing showdown on Sun­day.

 

 

 

 

Man City are tasked with ending their winless run by securing maximum points against Liverpool at a stadium where they have celebrated just one victory in their last 21 top-flight visits.

 

 

 

 

On the other side, Arne Slot’s side enter this contest in high spirits after beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, and Man City expert, Steven McInerney, from Esteemed Kompany has admitted that he is “absolutely dreading” Sunday’s trip to An­field amidst the Citizens’ injury woes, their decline in form and several other “fundamental is­sues.”

 

 

 

 

He said; “It’s not impossible’: Can Man City end winless run against ‘lucky’ Liverpool?

 

 

 

 

“It’s not impossible” for Man City to beat “lucky” Liverpool.

 

 

 

 

However, McInerney has claimed that “it’s not impos­sible” for Guardiola’s side to come away with a positive re­sult, while he feels that Liver­pool have had “luck on their side” in the Premier League, after they were gifted all three goals in a 3-2 comeback victory over basement club Southamp­ton last weekend.

 

 

 

 

“I don’t think Liverpool were that great against Southamp­ton,” McInerney told Sports Mole senior reporter Oliver Thomas prior to City’s draw with Feyenoord.

 

 

 

 

“I know they won, and com­fortably in terms of chances in the end, but they got a little bit lucky with it.

 

 

 

 

“They rode their luck a tiny bit there… comically bad from Alex McCarthy.

 

 

 

 

“I feel that Liverpool can be got at, and Man City can create chances against them. I think we will because Liverpool have still been conceding chances as good as they have been.

 

 

 

 

“Even as good as the goal dif­ference is, [they have] the best defensive record, but they still have conceded chances. All that points towards a team that’s very lucky right now, which is annoying. They’ve got luck on their side.”

 

 

 

 

Nevertheless, McInerney has acknowledged that Liverpool are “playing with confidence” and he is wary of the threat in-form players including Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah can pose to Man City, and he is therefore “fearing the worst” for Guardi­ola’s defensively frail side.

 

 

 

 

McInerney has also shared his thoughts on the Premier League title race and whether defeat for Man City at Anfield would all but end their hopes of winning an unprecedented fifth successive top-flight crown this term.

 

 

 

 

But Pep Guardiola, the coach of Man City, has admit­ted a near impossible task of winning the title if they lose today’s match against the table toppers

 

 

 

 

Guardiola was asked wheth­er an 11-point gap – if City lose to Arne Slot’s team – would be too much to overhaul even at this stage of the season. “Yeah, it’s true,” he replied.

 

 

 

 

“We’re not thinking about winning or losing [the title], we are not in the situation to think about what is going to happen at the end of the season.

 

 

 

 

“If in the end we don’t win, it’s because we don’t deserve it. We won it in the past because we deserved it.”

 

 

 

 

Ilkay Gundogan corroborat­ed his coach and when quizzed on whether the trip to Anfield is a must-win for the reigning Premier League champions, Gundogan said, “To stay in the title race probably yes, because 11 points would be a huge gap.”

 

 

 

 

The German midfielder continued, “Anfield is always tough, no matter the situation. We’ve struggled in recent years going there. We know Liverpool are a great team full of confi­dence right now.

 

 

 

 

“It’s going to be as tough as it is possible to be. But that sums up the situation right now.”

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, there has never been a better time for Liverpool to face this City side. Liverpool, already eight points clear of the champions, have more rea­son to be confident going into a game against City than they have in any other recent meet­ing.

 

 

 

 

But they will also go into this top-of-the-table meeting wary of a backlash. It would be fool­ish to underestimate City, even on a six-game winless run that nobody could have seen coming a month ago.

 

 

 

 

There are justifiable reasons to predict just about any result on Sunday, in what will be Slot’s first meeting with Guardiola. Here, we look at five key factors that could decide the game’s outcome.

 

 

 

 

With City’s Soft Middle without Rodri in the midfield, City have been too easy to play through. That isn’t entirely down to the absence of the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, but it is a big part of the problem.

 

 

 

 

In Guardiola’s entire reign, City have never looked so po­rous. Their problems at the back of late have been histor­ically bad. Before the Feye­noord disaster, they have con­ceded at least two goals in six successive games in all compe­titions for the first time since May 1963.

 

 

 

 

As a team that dominates possession as much as they do, counter-attacks are one of the few ways that opponents ever really have a chance against them. In Rodri’s absence, op­position counters have become a real problem.

 

 

 

 

In the 10 Premier League matches that Rodri hasn’t ap­peared in this season, Manches­ter City have given up 17 shots following a fast-break situa­tion. In comparison, they have allowed opponents just seven shots from fast breaks in their last 10 matches with Rodri, and only one in their last eight.

 

 

 

 

But Liverpool coach, Arne Slot, has claimed City have played better than their results suggest and he is expecting a tough encounter on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

“I don’t think anyone in the last eight or nine years – or even longer – would have said that City at home or away [is] easy,” said Slot.

 

 

 

 

“Everybody is looking at their results. I’ve seen them as well. Against Brighton, they were 1-0 up, they could have scored for 2-0 or 3-0 but didn’t. Then they got beaten 2-1.

 

 

 

 

“Against Tottenham, after 20 minutes they could have been two or three goals up, but they weren’t. Against Feyenoord, that [losing a three-goal lead] has not happened many times. They were 3-0 up and then all of a sudden it was 3-3.

 

 

 

 

“They are still a very good team. One of the reasons why I think Pep is the best manager in the world is he always comes up with solutions.”

 

 

 

 

Skysport reports that Slot admitted that the absence of Rodri might have been the reason for the dip in form, but trust Guardiola could come up with a solution before Sunday

 

 

 

 

“His problem now might be that Rodri is out but we all know, at least I think, he will come up with a [solution and] that their form will come again – hopefully after Sunday.

 

 

 

 

“He [Guardiola] was the one who started playing with the inverted full-back, then he was the first one to play the cen­tre-back as the No 6. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with another idea nobody ever thought about before to make his team even stronger. That’s the reason why he inspired so many managers around the world.

 

 

 

 

“When he came up with it, we thought it was crazy, but [then] we all went, ‘Let’s do the same, it’s a brilliant idea’. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes up with something new again.

 

 

 

 

“But let’s wait and see be­cause many things have been done with football now. If there’s anyone in this mana­gerial world who can come up with something new, it’s defi­nitely him.”

 

 

 

 

Asked why City have con­ceded so many late goals and why Liverpool have not, Slot replied: “Not playing Totten­ham yet! Because they’re a very good team with a great playing style.

 

 

 

 

“It always depends on the circumstances. Them conced­ing three against Feyenoord probably had a lot to do with the substitutions they made. If you saw the first and the second goal, the second goal the ball hit the post and then it fell to Santiago Gimenez.

 

 

 

 

“During the season these things can happen to every team. With Arsenal, [Martin] Odegaard being out didn’t help them. Rodri being out didn’t help City.

 

 

 

 

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