Manchester City vs. Liverpool Prediction: Clash of Premier League Titans

• Manchester City are looking to stay within touching distance of Arsenal in top spot

• Liverpool stopped the rot last weekend but are they out of the woods yet?

• This is a big game for both teams, between whom there is no love lost

Manchester City vs. Liverpool Odds

The odds for Manchester City vs. Liverpool can be found in the odds table below. The odds have been taken from the BetRivers Sportsbook. Sign up for a BetRivers account and claim the welcome offer: Up To $500 In Bonus Bets.

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My -125 Pick for Manchester City vs. Liverpool 

Back Erling Haaland to score anytime against Liverpool. The Manchester City striker is in red-hot form and the Reds are struggling defensively.

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Manchester City Looking to Show They Can Compete for Title

It has been a strange start to the season for Manchester City. Second in the Premier League table, they have emerged as Arsenal’s likeliest challengers for the title (in part because of Liverpool’s recent collapse). Only Crystal Palace rank higher for expected goals, and only Arsenal are doing better in terms of expected goals difference.

Having said all that, City have not been at their imperious best so far this term. Prior to 2023/24, when City suffered an alarming dip in form, Pep Guardiola’s side tended to dominate games via a suffocating method of possession-based soccer which made it difficult for opponents to create chances against them. They have not played with the same level of control for most of this season.

City have evolved into a more direct team over the last 12 months or so. That does not mean they are suddenly playing long-ball soccer and bypassing the midfield. City continue to build up from the back and their starting XI usually contains multiple creative technicians. But they rank only fourth for possession and several of their games have been more end-to-end than would have been the case in previous campaigns.

Perhaps it does not matter if you control games well or not when you have Erling Haaland as your striker. The Norway international has enjoyed a magnificent start to the season, even by his own sky-high standards. Haaland has scored 13 goals in 10 Premier League appearances, making him the overwhelming favorite to win the Golden Boot. Even if City are not at their best, Haaland can get them out of jail.

Although the season is still relatively young, City will not want to allow Arsenal to extend their six-point lead at the summit of the standings. That is why Sunday's game against Liverpool is so important.

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Another Victory Would Ease Liverpool Worries After Alarming Dip

It is amazing the extent to which back-to-back wins can lift the mood at a soccer club. Doom and gloom abounded at Anfield as recently as a week and a half ago, after Crystal Palace trounced the Reds 3-0 in the EFL Cup. At that point Liverpool had lost six of their last seven assignments in all competitions.

A degree of optimism has returned to the red half of Merseyside in recent days. First, Liverpool stopped the rot in the Premier League by beating Aston Villa 2-0. Then, on Tuesday night, they became the first non-Spanish team to inflict defeat on Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, winning 1-0 on home turf.

Liverpool deserved it too. Their performance was a return to what the Reds delivered on a regular basis last season. They played with intensity and aggression, pressing Madrid high up the pitch to disrupt their build-up. Arne Slot's side would have scored more than one goal were it not for a stellar showing from Thibaut Courtois between the Madrid sticks.

Now Liverpool must build on it. Defeats by Villa and Madrid would have left Slot under real pressure. Instead, the Dutchman will hope his side have got out of their funk. Given they will be playing at the Etihad Stadium, victory over Manchester City would be the best of the lot.

Liverpool are not out of the title race just yet, although those four recent defeats have clearly harmed their chances of retaining the crown. A seven-point gap to Arsenal is large but not insurmountable. But like City, Liverpool will be desperate to prevent the Gunners moving further clear in top spot, particularly given their astonishing defensive record.

“Sunday is another game coming up against a very strong team,” Slot said after the Madrid win. “We have lost too many points in the Premier League but in the Champions League we are doing well. We need to do better and that is what we are going to try.”

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Haaland the Main Man as Manchester City Lean On Norwegian

Erling Haaland was the Premier League's top scorer in 2022/23 and 2023/24, before Mohamed Salah claimed the Golden Boot last term. The two attackers have had contrasting starts to the current campaign, however. 

Whereas Haaland has made the net bulge 13 times in the league, Salah has beaten opposition goalkeepers on just four occasions. Moreover, his all-round game has been ropey at best.

Salah will surely come good again. He may now be past his peak, but that does not mean he suddenly has nothing to offer. You could even argue that four goals in 10 matches is a very acceptable return given he has not been playing anywhere near his highest level.

In terms of this particular match, though, the smart money is on Haaland finding the back of the net. The City frontman looks unstoppable at the moment, and Liverpool's defense has been vulnerable at the start of the season. 

Despite those two clean sheets over the last week, the Reds will struggle to keep Haaland out at the Etihad Stadium.

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How to Watch Manchester City vs. Liverpool

• Teams: Manchester City vs. Liverpool

• Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England

• Date and Time: Sunday 9th November, 11.30AM ET

• How to Watch: USA Network