Early in the Premier League
season, when the campaign’s
roadmap is drafted for the months
to come, Liverpool’s match with
Manchester City at Anfield on
New Year’s Eve was billed as one of the decisive games of the top-
flight campaign. Under Pep Guardiola, the men
from the Etihad Stadium swept all
before them in the initial weeks of
the campaign and their closest
challengers looked set to be
Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Reds, who were obliterating defences
with their perpetual motion on the
ball in the final third. That encounter on the final day of
2016 didn’t end up being the
momentous occasion that was
expected. Neither team played
particularly well on the day, with
the Reds edging a 1-0 win at Anfield. It was a precursor of
what was to come, as both sides
struggled in early 2017 and
slumped down the pecking order. With Chelsea streaking away at
the summit of the table, Sunday’s
showdown at the Etihad Stadium
is not quite as important as many
would have expected. But it’s still
important, with both teams seeking to secure their spot in the
Premier League’s top four. City currently sit in third place,
level on points with Tottenham in
second spot and 10 points behind
the runaway leaders. The Reds
are a point back and a place back
having played a game more, although they can usurp their
Manchester rivals with three
points on the road. Crucially, both teams are on an
upward curve as things stand too,
with each slowly finding their feet
after testing spells. And with the
top prize out of reach for each,
perhaps we’ll see the shackles off these two attacking outfits and a
much more enjoyable game than
the one that underwhelmed last
year. When and where to watch the
game on US TV and
streaming: Date: Sunday, March 19, 2017 Time: 12:30 p.m. (ET), 9:30 a.m. (PT), 4:30 p.m. (GMT) US TV: NBC (over-the-air network) US streaming: NBC Sports App and fubo Premier (7-day free trial) Manchester City After their midweek elimination to
AS Monaco in the UEFA
Champions League, City are left
to focus on the Premier League
and the FA Cup in the remaining
weeks of Guardiola’s debut term. Overall, it’s been a campaign that
has been a little disappointing.
Granted, the team spent a lot of
money in the summer and the
acquisition of players like Leroy
Sane and Gabriel Jesus has made plenty excited about the
future at the Etihad Stadium. But
there is still a long way for this
team to go. This is an opportunity to take
another positive step, though.
Although City did overcome
Liverpool in last season’s League
Cup final, overall they’ve
struggled against Klopp’s side. In this fixture last season, the Reds
ran riot in a 4-1 win at the Etihad
Stadium. Image The big issue for City in these
matches has been their intensity.
While David Silva, Yaya Toure
and Kevin De Bruyne are all
wonderful manipulators of the ball,
Liverpool have trampled all over them in that area of the pitch in
previous meetings. The City
defence has been chasing
shadows against the Reds’ fluid
forwards too. That’ll be a challenge for the home
side, although there have been
small signs as of late that players
are marrying the physical and
technical demands of Guardiola’s
setup to greater effect. Sergio Aguero, who is working harder,
pressing smarter and still scoring
goals, epitomises that. And that’s where City will feel
they can win this game. In
Aguero, they have a striker in
form, while flanking him is the
exhilarating pair of former
Liverpool man Raheem Sterling, who will be keen to show what he
can do, and Leroy Sane, who has
been in fantastic form as late. Liverpool The problems Liverpool have
endured under Klopp have been
well documented. Deep-sitting,
defensively determined
opponents trouble the Reds,
especially given the vibrant spark that was so prevalent in their play
earlier in the campaign has faded
away lately. However, teams who open the
game up, such as City, have been
picked off by this Liverpool team.
Stylistically, there are obviously
traits in Klopp’s way of playing
that align well with these matches, as the Reds are a dangerous
proposition when the game is
stretched. The mentality of the
players is strong in these games
too. And while the win over Burnley at
Anfield last time out may have
been an attritional one, perhaps it
can be a catalyst for improvement
in the final 10 games of the
campaign. A win at the Etihad Stadium may be another one. The team’s away form has been a
little sketchy as of late, though,
with their only victory on the road
in the last six matches the 1-0 at
fourth-tier Plymouth Argyle in an
FA Cup replay. Not showing their best form on the road is slowly
becoming another significant
hurdle for this team to overcome,
especially given how they
crumbled at Hull City and
Leicester City. Klopp has some fascinating
decisions to make in terms of
selection here too. Philippe
Coutinho, a tormentor of
Manchester City in the past,
hasn’t been plugged in lately and was hooked before the hour-mark
against Burnley. Roberto Firmino
also missed the clash with the
Clarets last week, while Jordan
Henderson has been ruled out. Yet it’s all about the collective for
Klopp and teams who operate
with a prolonged zeal have
caused massive problems for
City this season. That’ll be the
message ringing in the ears of the players in red come kick off on
Saturday—intensity. Predicted lineups Key Battle – David Silva vs.
Emre Can As aforementioned, the midfield
battle in this one is going to be so
important, with City’s diminutive
schemers seeking to gain an
advantage over the Reds’
enforcers. The duel between Silva and Emre Can encapsulates that. Silva has been mesmeric in
recent weeks. While the form of
the front three has caught the
eye, so often it’s the playmaker
who is supplying the bullets. Silva
is so adept at finding space, so difficult to take the ball off and so
proficient in his forward passing. Can will have his work cut out on
the day. The German midfielder
has come in for some stick in
recent weeks after some
stuttering performances, although
answered some critics with a fine long-range strike to help Liverpool
beat Burnley. It’s the defensive
side of his game that’ll be under
the microscope here, though. If City are going to cope with the
aggressive pressing from
Liverpool in the middle of the park,
Silva must take the ball in tight
spaces and help his team play
around those in red onrushing.
