Man City v Liverpool predictions: Title blockbuster can go the way of the hosts

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester City v Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Manchester City
2pts 11-10 Coral

Team news

Man City
Ruben Dias and Cole Palmer are sidelined but Kyle Walker is available after serving a European suspension against Atletico in midweek.

Liverpool
Fabinho is expected to play despite suffering a cut in a clash of heads in the Reds' midweek win at Benfica.

Match preview

Manchester City have seen their 14-point lead over Liverpool all but evaporate as a title procession has been turned into one of the best scraps in modern memory – but Sunday could be the day when the champions land their most telling blow yet.

Pep Guardiola's men have absorbed punch after counter-punch from their fired-up rivals, who head to the Etihad having won ten straight Premier League games and feeling invincible.

It means we're set for an unmissable duel between the two stand-out sides in England with the winner firmly in the box seat as the finish line approaches – and City's championship-winning credentials might well prove critical in what is sure to be a tense affair.

Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, the Fergie and Wenger of the modern era, will send out their two world-class teams as they always do with winning on their minds, yet despite the positivity and the ambition, there's a definite sense that this is on a knife-edge.

How the title odds have changed - read Simon Giles's analysis

City, of course, have been here before under Guardiola, far more often than Liverpool have been under Klopp, and given that experience, home advantage, their pedigree and, above all else, their price, they look the bet to reassert control of the title race.

You rarely ever see City quotes at odds-against these days. They'll head to Madrid on Wednesday to take on Spanish powers and champions Atletico with an odds-on quote. Put simply, layers won't take any chances with Guardiola's galacticos.

So to see his sublime unit at around the 11-10 mark is seriously hard to turn down.

Yes, Klopp's challengers are a delicious attacking proposition, who arrive in Manchester fresh from a 3-1 win in Benfica, turning a potentially awkward Champions League assignment into something far more routine.

They haven't lost an away game in 2022. The goal Benfica scored against them was the first they had shipped in five matches and they've scored the most away goals in the top flight.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to fitness improves them even more as an attacking unit with Klopp spoiled for choice up front given the impact of January arrival Luis Diaz.

He might be concerned about the form and fitness of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, the overly-worked African pair whose goals have dried up since the Africa Cup of Nations, but nowadays Klopp has ample cover.

And there is no doubt there will be plenty of punters who are convinced Liverpool, who can win when playing well or not so well, are themselves value at around 5-2.

They will also point out that despite protestations from Guardiola that his side had been "amazing" in disappointing draws with Southampton and Palace since the turn of the year, they still dropped points. And, of course, they lost 3-2 at home to Tottenham seven weeks ago. Although, in fairness to Guardiola and City, they had more than enough chances to win all of those games at a canter.

Kevin De Bruyne has scored in each of his last three and is purring, as is Phil Foden, and if Liverpool boast obvious attacking threats from all over the park, then clearly so too do City.

The bottom line is that these are two sublime outfits in the richest of nick. But turning down City at odds-against and at home, no matter who they are playing, is a tough thing to do.

Key stat

City have scored in both halves of nine of their 14 home league games.

Inside info

Man City

Penalty taker Riyad Mahrez/Kevin de Bruyne
Free-kick wizard Riyad Mahrez
Set-piece aerial threat Aymeric Laporte
Card magnet Fernandinho

Liverpool

Penalty taker Mo Salah
Free-kick wizardTrent Alexander-Arnold
Set-piece aerial threatVirgil van Dijk
Card magnetFabinho

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