Manchester City and Liverpool Lock Horns in Premier League Derby
Published December 31, 2016 by Florin P
Manchester City welcomes back key players and pushes for win over Liverpool (5:30 p.m UK Time).
In the last day of 2016, Manchester City and Liverpool meet in a high profile match. If the hosts win, they will come within striking distance of Chelsea who has an easier schedule. For the visitors, this is a match of critical importance because defeat would further diminish their chances of winning the trophy.
Key Players Return for Manchester City
Aguero, Fernandinho and Kompany are all expected to return for this fixture. The defender is the only one doubtful but the good news is that their top scorer is ready to play. The Argentinean striker has served his suspension and can now help Manchester overtake their bitter rivals. In his absence the team struggled to pick up points both at home and on the road, while scoring significantly fewer goals.
Even without these important players, Manchester City showed extraordinary fighting spirit and rebounded against Arsenal. The visitors took the lead early but the hosts managed to score twice to seize three very important points. This ability to fight back would be very useful against Liverpool, a team that is prone to suffering catastrophic meltdowns.
A Real Test for Klopp
Liverpool won and lost more matches in overtime than any other team in the Premier League this season. They were unlucky to forfeit three points against Bournemouth, but picked up an unexpected victory against Everton. They won the local derby after scoring in the fourth minute of overtime and retained the second place. A draw would suffice to consolidate this position.
Klopp has the merit of turning Liverpool into a very competitive team. They managed to win all the games against the main counter candidate for the Premier League trophy. Each of them were narrow margin victories though and their luck is likely to run out against Manchester City. Punters should take the even odds offered by bet365 Sports on the visitors to win with the cover of a 0:0 Asian Handicap.
