The world’s football focus will be directed at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team host Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool with one point separating the teams on the Premier League table. One surety from this match is that it wouldn’t end in a goalless draw.
Can the Citizens hold the Reds at bay?
Manchester City v Liverpool @Etihad Stadium @4:30pm on April 10
Preamble
In many ways, Man City and Liverpool are alike, apart from the monies spent building title-winning teams.
While many believe Guardiola has had a bigger purse to build and deliver titles to City since he walked through the Etihad doors in 2016, the truth is shocking.
Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015 and since then has spent 725,355,000 Euros compared to the 1,036,091,000 Euros spent by Guardiola.
“While Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has to balance the books in the transfer market, Guardiola can just spend, spend and spend until he gets it right,” said former Liverpool striker John Aldridge. “It is the dream position for any manager, but only Guardiola finds himself working with an open cheque book.”
> 1 billion Euros = 8 major titles [Still chasing first Champions League title since he left Barcelona in 2012]
> 700 million Euros = 5 major titles [this includes the Champions League]
The spending and the profile of the managers have turned this tie into an exciting rivalry that looks to have gone up a notch this season. Both are still on course in the Champions League and the final many neutral football fans want to see is a City versus Liverpool Champions League final.
On Sunday, they will meet for their first final of the season. Liverpool have already won the Carabao Cup, in the chase for the EPL title, with a shout in the UCL, and could make it a quadruple season in the FA Cup. Guardiola is still in contention for the treble of EPL, UCL, and FA Cup.
Current Form: Man City [W-W-W-D-D]; Liverpool [W-W-W-W-W]
Head-to-head
03/10/21 PRL Liverpool 2 – 2 Man City
07/02/21 PRL Liverpool 1 – 4 Man City
08/11/20 PRL Man City 1 – 1 Liverpool
02/07/20 PRL Man City 4 – 0 Liverpool
10/11/19 PRL Liverpool 3 – 1 Man City
EPL Stats
Since the 2016/17 season, City have won the league with 100 points in the 2017/18 while Liverpool did the same with 99 points in the 2019/20 season. In the 2018/19 season, City finished just one point better than Liverpool with 98. This rivalry has been simmering and has traversed two countries -Germany and England.
All-time head-to-head: Pep Guardiola vs Jurgen Klopp
Games-22; Guardiola wins-9; Klopp wins-9; Draws-4
Goals scored by Guardiola’s teams-41; Goals scored by Jurgen Klopp’s teams-37
In England, since 2016, they have faced each other 15 times in all competitions. There have been five drawn games; six Liverpool wins and four wins for Manchester City.
03/10/21 PRL Liverpool 2 – 2 Man City
07/02/21 PRL Liverpool 1 – 4 Man City
08/11/20 PRL Man City 1 – 1 Liverpool
02/07/20 PRL Man City 4 – 0 Liverpool
10/11/19 PRL Liverpool 3 – 1 Man City
04/08/19 COS Liverpool 1 – 1 Man City [City won penalties]
03/01/19 PRL Man City 2 – 1 Liverpool
07/10/18 PRL Liverpool 0 – 0 Man City
26/07/18 ICC Man City 1 – 2 Liverpool
10/04/18 UCL Man City 1 – 2 Liverpool
04/04/18 UCL Liverpool 3 – 0 Man City
14/01/18 PRL Liverpool 4 – 3 Man City
09/09/17 PRL Man City 5 – 0 Liverpool
19/03/17 PRL Man City 1 – 1 Liverpool
31/12/16 PRL Liverpool 1 – 0 Man City
Looking at some stats
Stat Man City Liverpool
Goals 70 77
Shots on Target 203 211
Attempted Passes 20,784 18,357
Goals Conceded 18 20
Headed Goals 9 12
Fouls conceded 261 294
The close nature of this encounter is glaring for all to see, but one major factor that could decide the winner on Sunday is the headed goals statistic. Liverpool have 12 to City’s nine. The Liverpool advantage rests squarely on the delivery of Alexander Trent-Arnold’s delivery, whether from open play or from dead balls. Expect Klopp to play Ibrahima Konate as Virgil van Dijk’s partner on Sunday to increase this advantage.
Managers’ Words
“I will always remember the time here when I am retired and I will remember the biggest opponent was Liverpool. Always, we control each other because they are good and hopefully they think we are good too. For both teams, the most credit I give is the consistency through the years for many years. It is not winning one Premier League.” – Pep Guardiola, Man City Manager
“Let me say it like this. It is not that I think they are more under pressure than us–they play at home, they are calm and decisive in most of the games they play and we have to be as well. It is an important game–a very important game–but actually, how we now realised in the beginning, there is a season after this game and these games are as important as the others.” – Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Manager
The match kicks off at 4:30 p.m. and you can follow the match with PREMIUM TIMES from 4 p.m.
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