No win in last six games piles but manager remains pragmatic
Liverpool vs Manchester City
Competition: F.A. Premier League
Date: 4.00pm, Sunday 1st December 2024
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Referee: Chris Kavanagh Assistants: L Betts, D Cann Fourth Official: A Taylor VAR: P Tierney
Odds: Liverpool 11/10, Draw 5/2, City 9/4
Tickets: Sold out
TV: Sky Sports
Liverpool
Manager: Arne Slot
Squad (from): Jaros, Kelleher, Davies, Gomez, van Dijk, Konate, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Bradley, Endo, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, Gravenberch, Morton, Dias, Nunez, Salah, Gakpo
Injured: Tsimikas, Chiesa, Alisson, Jota
Doubtful: Bradley, Konate
Suspended: None
Form guide: WWWWW
Manchester City
Manager: Pep Guardiola
0Squad (from): Ederson, Ortega, Carson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Akanji, Simpson-Pusey, Lewis, Grealish, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva, Nunes, Foden, Wright, McAtee, Haaland, Doku, Savinho
Injured: Rodri, Bobb, Kovacic
Doubtful: Doku, Stones
Suspended: None
Form guide: DLLLL
City travel to Anfield on the back of their worst ever run of form under manager Pep Guardiola. The Blues haven't won in their last six games, and calamitously blew a three-goal lead against Feynoord in midweek.
Guardiola, however, took a pragmatic view of the situation at Friday's press conference.
“All we can do and I’ve learned from my life is move forward in the good and bad moments, it’s what you have to do,” he said
“I’ve said many times in a long career, you live all the situations.
“Fortunately we have lived this rarely in the last eight or nine years, but I take it like normal.
“Of course I’m thinking what can I do to help the players but in the career for many years you live these situations. In the end we lost five games, should’ve won the last one, that happens in football.
“It’s the end of November so many months to play, we have to learn and learn and learn, succeeding is how many times you stand up when you fall.
“The result doesn’t change anything, but in three days after Liverpool we will play against Nottingham Forest we have to prove it.
“We still need 11 or 12 games winning in a row to prove we are stable, now it’s one game and won’t change how we are as a team.”
“Sometimes it happens and you have to understand it.”
City drew their last game at Anfield 1-1, with a goal from John Stones. Overall City have won 52 of the 197 games played against the Reds, with 52 draws and 93 defeats.
Predicted line-up: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Gundogan, Bernardo, Nunes, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
Score prediction: Liverpool 3 City 1