Manchester City will clash heads with Liverpool at Anfield looking to pick up a victory and take a giant step towards reclaiming the Premier League title. Pep Guardiola’s players have been playing some of their best football of this campaign over the past couple of months, which will give them a lot of confidence heading into this upcoming Premier League showdown at Merseyside.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Reds have been going through a difficult campaign as they have struggled to cope with the mounting injuries which have translated to some poor performances from them in recent weeks.
In a press conference ahead of this season-defining clash, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made a slight dig on how Man City got a “two-week break” due to Covid-19 protocols. Unsurprisingly, Guardiola was not happy about the statement and expects to have a talk with his German counterpart over the comment he made when they meet at Anfield on Sunday evening.
This game has a lot of spice and could turn out to be an entertaining and heated affair between two teams desperate to get the better of each other in search of future glory. Here are three things Guardiola should do to ensure that his team can emerge victorious at Anfield this weekend.
Name Gabriel Jesus As His Centre-Forward
Gabriel Jesus has scored against Liverpool earlier this season and is enjoying a decent run of form in front of the opposition goal of late. He has found the back of the net in each of his past two league appearances, so we can expect him to fancy his chances against a Liverpool defence that has been leaking in some poor goals recently.
Continue To Play Aymeric Laporte As A Makeshift Left-Back
Guardiola should think about playing Aymeric Laporte at left-back once again as he has what it takes to neutralise the threat of Mohamed Salah out on the wide areas. Selecting Laporte in this fixture has paid dividends for Man City in their past meetings with the Reds, so the Frenchman should be selected because of the defensive stability he would bring ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Benjamin Mendy this weekend.
Select Phil Foden And Use Riyad Mahrez Off The Bench
Foden has been a breath of fresh air at the Etihad Stadium this season as he has finally managed to establish himself as one of the most important assets in Guardiola’s match-day squad. The English youngster has proven that he can handle the pressure of playing in high-profile matches. Hence, it makes sense for Guardiola to include him in his first-team when Man City travel to Anfield for this blockbuster showdown on Sunday evening.
