Manchester City will travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in round 11 of the English Premier League. The defending champions are unbeaten in the league and are one of the favourites to win the league this season. Liverpool, on the other hand, are struggling for points and it will be a tough test for them going against an in-form side according to our latest Premiership predictions here.
Liverpool are winless in their last three games and are sitting in the tenth position with two wins, four draws, and two losses. The Reds suffered a 3-2 defeat against Arsenal in their last match. Jurgen Klopp’s men have scored 20 goals and average 2.27 xG per match. Their defence has conceded 12 goals and that is the biggest concern for the manager.
Manchester City, on the other hand, are one point behind the league leaders. They have won seven and drawn the other two matches. Pep’s men have managed to score 33 goals this season and average 3.67 goals per match. They average 2.57 xG per match. The defence has conceded nine goals.
An end-to-end match
Both teams are capable of scoring goals against each other, and this could turn out to be a high-scoring game. Liverpool and Manchester City like to keep hold of the ball and create chances against their opponents. Liverpool averages 584 passes with an accuracy rate of 85.3% per match. Manchester City have a high average of 690.56 passes and the accuracy rate is 91.1%. The home team takes 16 shots per match and the visitors take 17. Both teams’ accuracy rate is around 40%.
Manchester City and Liverpool have a high possession rate of 67% and 64% per match, respectively. This high rate of possession is maintained due to their high pressing efficiency. The players do not allow their opponents to operate freely and constantly put pressure on them to make mistakes.
Liverpool players lose the ball more than Manchester City. Klopp’s men average 117.7 losses per match, while City only averages 76 losses. The recovery rate is 97 for Liverpool and 75.3 for Manchester City. This shows that Manchester City have been more patient in their attacks and does not like to lose the ball that easily. They have also made the highest number of recoveries in the opposition half. Liverpool will have to be more disciplined in this game.
Manchester City’s counterattack threat
Manchester City will carry a counterattacking threat in this match. They have the highest efficiency in the league and will look to take advantage of any opportunity they get against this attacking Liverpool team. Manchester City averages 2.33 counterattacks and 35 positional attacks. Their opponents average 41 positional attacks and 2.13 counterattacks per match. These teams will need to be more clinical with their finishing.
Key players
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best-attacking midfielders in the world. The Belgian has 104 assists in 228 English Premier League matches. This season, he has already added nine assists in nine games. He has provided assists in the last four games and is one of the more in-form players in the side. The above viz shows his stats per 90 minutes in comparison to other attacking players. De Bruyne can provide dangerous passes and can also take shots towards the opposition goal. He will create chances for his teammates.
Roberto Firmino has scored three goals in the last two matches. He is scoring goals in Europe as well and has eight goals in 11 appearances for Liverpool. The Brazilian is the highest goal scorer for the Reds this season and also has four assists to his name in all competitions. He will play a key role against this Manchester City side.
Team news
Liverpool have a few injury crises and will be without Joel Matip, Luis Diaz, and Trent Alexander-Arnold for this game. Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones might return to the team.
Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips will miss the fixture for Manchester City. John Stones missed the midweek game and might feature in this one.
The defending champions will have the upper hand going into this game. However, it won’t be easy for them to take three points at Anfield. Liverpool will look to play their best football and make it hard for their opponents to score goals.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
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