Liverpool vs Manchester City 11/11/19

11 November 2019

One of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures on the Premier League (PL) calendar will take place at Anfield this weekend as the league toppers Liverpool entertain second-placed Manchester City. Both sides successfully negotiated their respective Champions League commitments in the final warm-up ahead of this top-of-the-table clash.

After narrowly missing out on the league title last term, the hosts are eager to claim the ultimate prize for the first time in 30 years, as they’ve hit the ground running in England’s top-tier competition this season. The Reds have won ten of their opening 11 PL matches (D1), registering all five triumphs at home along the way. Curiously, all five of Liverpool’s previous PL victories have come via a single goal-margin, with four ending with the identical 2-1 scoreline. Also, each of their five league home wins has seen them score at least two goals and concede precisely one. Jurgen Klopp’s men will be looking to maintain their impressive 100% home record in all competitions this term when they take on a side they’ve not lost to in 16 of their previous PL H2Hs held here (W11, D5).

Meanwhile, the reigning champions’ agenda of reducing a six-point gap face an uphill task here, as they’ve drawn a blank in four of their last five competitive trips to Anfield (D1, L4). But, a shock 3-2 loss to the newly-promoted Norwich side aside, the Citizens have won all four of their remaining PL trips this season, netting 2+ goals in each while keeping a clean sheet twice. In fact, only Chelsea (18) have scored more away goals in the championship that City (15) so far, with Pep Guardiola’s men netting an average of 3 goals scored per away PL fixture. They also tend to dictate the pace of the game from the start, having opened the scoring inside the first 45 minutes in four of five PL road trips this term.