Prediction: Liverpool vs Manchester City

26th November 2011

Liverpool made a real statement by beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the Reds need to continue with solid performances against the title rivals if they are to have any chance of returning to the title chase. Manchester City ended the nine-match winning run as they were beaten by Napoli, but a win at Anfield would be a perfect remedy for Roberto Mancini’s side.

Liverpool owners made sure that the team stay competitive under Kenny Dalglish, having signed quite a few new players in the summer, with many fans starting to believe that Reds can finally mount a serious title challenge. However, 12 games into the season and Kenny Dalglish’s side sit 12 points behind leaders Manchester City and there is one obvious reason for that. While the Reds have done brilliantly in the matches against title contenders, beating Arsenal and Chelsea away, while sharing spoils with Manchester United at Anfield, they have been pretty disappointing in most of the game against those smaller sides, with failure to beat Sunderland, Norwich and Swansea at home leaving them out of the title race. The valuable win at Stamford Bridge could be just the boost they needed to turn this season around, and a win over City would definitely help make Premiership title race a lot more interesting. The good news is that Jamie Carragher has recovered from injury and he should return to the starting line-up, just like Stuart Downing and Jordan Henderson.

It’s been a while since one side have been as dominant in the English Premiership as Manchester City are this season, with just two dropped points in twelve league games a remarkable return for Roberto Mancini’s side. The Citizens may have played just one derby game so far, but after hammering United 6:1 at Old Trafford, there is no reason to believe that they will break under pressure when facing any other title contender. City’s amazing nine-match winning run came to an abrupt end as they lost their Champions League clash to Napoli, thus coming to the brink of elimination from Europe’s top competition. There are no doubts that Roberto Mancini will be looking for a response after the poor showing at San Paolo and we can certainly expect a solid performance from the Premier League leaders. With Mario Balotelli back after recovering from fever, Mancini can choose from a fully fit squad.

Conclusion

Liverpool have already proved they can match even the best sides in the Premiership and the victory over Chelsea should give them an extra boost before this clash. Manchester City may be superior to the Reds in most of the areas, but they could find it hard to play a good game following the bitter defeat to Napoli, so I believe that draw is the most likely outcome here.

Verdict: Draw (X)

Best Odds: 12/5

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler