This promises to be a cracking match between the most swashbuckling two teams in the Premiership. Both Liverpool and Man City are magnificent going forwards and pretty dreadful at the back, and they both play expansive football, so it should be an open game full of excitement, chances, and goals.
Liverpool’s games have seen more goals than any other team’s this season, more even than relegation-threatened teams that leak goals like Swansea and Crystal Palace. They have scored more than any other team in the Premiership this season and they are outrageously exciting in attack. But their gung-ho mentality leaves gaps at the back and they have conceded plenty of goals – more than one per game and more than any other team in the top six. There are serious question marks over goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who is only back in the team because his replacement, Loris Karius, was so bad. And with centre-halves like Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan, any team will fancy scoring against Liverpool, and inept defending against West Ham and Crystal Palace will give Man City’s forwards confidence going into this huge six-pointer.
The only team in the Premiership that can rival Liverpool for gung-ho attacking is City. They are the joint-second highest scorers in the league after Liverpool, along with Arsenal, but they have also conceded more than a goal per game. Their formation is hard to pin down, but at times they have played three at the back and one of that three, Aleksandar Kolarov, has played like a left winger. They pack the midfield with exciting creative talents and few players that can break up the play and are inclined to sit back, so their games are typically full of excitement too.
It, therefore, looks set to be a New Year’s Eve cracker. Both teams are full of confidence, with Liverpool having won their last three and Man City winning their last two to leave them second and third respectively in the league. City will be further boosted by the return of star striker Sergio Aguero, who has been suspended, and that spells bad news for Liverpool.
Aguero loves scoring on his return to the side. Last time he returned from a suspension he scored twice against Swansea back in October. When he spent a month on the sidelines last season with an injury he returned to action against Liverpool and scored. He has scored against Liverpool in every season he has spent as a Premiership player bar one, and the 2.50 that 888 Sport is offering on Aguero to score at any time in this game looks a great bet.
Another good option is the 1.50 Sky Bet is offering on both teams to score, or the 1.70 Unibet is offering on over 2.5 goals. Given the way both teams attack and defend, it would be a grave disappointment if there were not plenty of goals in this game.
It is hard to say who will win it due to the unpredictable nature of both sides. But Liverpool has real momentum at present and will benefit from home advantage, so that could just sway it in their favour, particularly as Liverpool have been thrashing teams and Man City have looked a bit unconvincing in their recent wins. The 2.40 Sportingbet has on Liverpool winning looks a good bet. But to get more value, how about Liverpool to win and both teams to score at 4.10 with Bwin, or Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals at 3.45 with Bet Stars?
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