Liverpool vs. Manchester City: Three things to know ahead of top of the Premier League showdown

One of the defining clashes of the Premier League season so far is coming up on Sunday when Liverpool take on Manchester City at Anfield. The league’s top two come together with the Reds just one single point ahead of the defending champions and level for games played. Jurgen Klopp’s men have a massive chance to stretch their lead over Pep Guardiola’s side to four points which could potentially hand Arsenal an opening into second place, although the Gunners will hope for a draw which could see Mikel Arteta’s men draw level on points with Liverpool should the Londoners beat Brentford at home. This one finished 1-1 back in November and a similar result will not necessarily aid either team’s title aspirations.

We look at a few main things to know ahead of this game which could also be one of the final instalments — if not the final instalment — of Klopp vs. Guardiola which has been one of the best managerial and tactical rivalries anywhere in Europe over the past few years.

Liverpool roll on

Since a 3-1 loss away at Arsenal, Liverpool have won all seven of their games which included the League Cup final victory over Chelsea. With nine wins from their last 10 since an EFL Cup semifinal second leg draw with Fulham and 16 wins and three draws for just one single loss from 20 across all competitions, Jurgen Klopp’s side have built up some momentum. That league cup triumph has also been added to with a thumping first leg win in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 which puts the Reds on course for a quarterfinal berth as the players aim to send their German tactician off with as much silverware as possible. Making that run even more impressive is the fact that Klopp has been without a number of regular starters and has gradually been pushed down to the bare bones, to the point that many youth teamers were on the field by the time they edged Chelsea at Wembley to win the EFL Cup.

City’s ominous form

If you thought Liverpool were faring well, then check out City’s numbers over the same 20-game stretch with Pep Guardiola’s men notching up 18 wins and adding two draws in an unbeaten streak which started following a 1-0 loss away at UEFA Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa back in early December before the FIFA Club World Cup. European progress has not been elusive for the continental kings with a UCL quarterfinal place sewn up in easy fashion with a pair of 3-1 wins over FC Copenhagen for a 6-2 aggregate score. Now that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland have returned from injuries Guardiola has not had the same sort of availability headaches to contend with as Klopp, so their steamrolling of teams is not hugely surprising, but it has still been an impressive turnaround in form given their three wins from eight in that barren run, which birthed the current return of points and goals.

Goals galore

Which brings us nicely onto the third and final thing to know ahead of the game and that is that there should be a good serving of goal action in this one considering that Liverpool have scored 21 times from their last seven games. City across that same period have scored 18 while shipping six goals — almost one per game. The Reds are stingier having allowed just four goals past their backline and that could be one of the deciding factors in this game with Klopp’s men more likely to shut Guardiola’s out than the other way around. Availability will be key too but for now it seems like we are in for another goal-filled and high octane Premier League spectacle which could go a long way towards deciding the title.

How to watch and odds

• Date: Sunday, Mar. 10 | Time: 10:45 a.m. ET
• Location: Anfield — Liverpool, England
• Live: USA Network and Fubo (try for free)
• Odds: Liverpool +190; Draw +280; City +120