Liverpool v Manchester City Preview – Champions League, 4th April 2018

Liverpool v Manchester City Preview

How do you stop Manchester City? That’s a question that has troubled, and bested, managers all over the country as the Citizens continue their march towards the Premier League title. Most teams have tried to stop City in their tracks by defending deep and slowing the game down. Liverpool took a different approach.

The Reds’ 4-3 win over City in January barely registered as a dent to the title ambitions of Pep Guardiola’s men but it did provide Jurgen Klopp and his players with a template for success when the two teams meet in European competition for the very first time.

A late flurry from Man City at Anfield gave the scoreline a respectability that they did not deserve. You could argue something similar about City’s 5-0 win over Liverpool at the Etihad. Liverpool were causing the hosts all sorts of problems before Sadio Mané was sent off for a reckless challenge on City’s goalkeeper, Ederson (even if it was an honest attempt to win the ball).

One of the most important elements of Man City’s game is the way they press the opposition but they don’t like it when the shoe is on the other foot. Liverpool pressed expertly in the league encounter at Anfield and you can be sure the City defence will be worried about what’s coming their way on Wednesday night. Liverpool’s own defence has come in for serious criticism over the past couple of years but they’ve kept nine league clean sheets at home while the huge outlay on Virgil van Dijk is starting to pay dividends.

The other potentially important element of this game is the varied European history of the two clubs. This is just Man City’s second appearance in the Champions League quarter finals while Liverpool have won nine of their 13 ties at this stage of the competition.

Relevant Stats, Injuries and Suspensions

Man City have dominated the Premier League this season. Cynics will point to the amount of money that the club have spent but football purists prefer to sit back and enjoy the football that Guardiola’s side are capable of. City are closing in on 100 Premier League goals and have scored 19 goals so far in Europe.

What makes this match so exciting is that Liverpool are arguably just as potent an attacking threat as Man City. They may be lagging behind in terms of league goals but Klopp’s men have amassed 28 Champions League goals. Liverpool are also unbeaten at Anfield in the league and in Europe this season, a run that includes Man City’s only league defeat of the campaign.

Klopp is further strengthened by the fact that he is missing no first team players through either injury or suspension. Apart from long term absentee Benjamin Mendy, Man City have no new injury concerns and both Sergio Aguero and Fabian Delph should be in contention to start.

Liverpool v Manchester City Tips

If Liverpool are to make it through to the Champions League semi finals they’ll surely need to make the most of their home advantage. That is no easy task against a Man City side who are a match for anybody in Europe but Klopp’s men know exactly how to get at their North West rivals. Liverpool look a very good price to win at 9/5 with BetVictor.

The safest way to approach this game from a betting perspective is to focus on goals. Each team will be looking to take the tie away from the other so both teams to score is almost a no brainer at 4/7 with Ladbrokes. It could also pay to take a slightly bigger risk and bet on over 3.5 goals at 33/20 with Coral.