A season-defining clash at the Etihad Stadium awaits Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool with a place at the summit of the Premier League table up for grabs. The Reds have closed the gap on Manchester City to just one point, giving the significance of a cup final in a match that will leave 21 points to play for by the final whistle.
How does Ste think we will line up? Check out the starting XI prediction show below! By watching the video
A clean bill of health for Klopp allows our best lineup for this one, with Liverpool coming into the game in confidence after a 3-1 win over Benfica.
Ibrahima Konate was excellent in midweek despite his mistake, but Joel Matip deserves to start having proven his consistency throughout the season. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, and Virgil van Dijk complete the back four.
Coming into this game the only question is who starts alongside Fabinho and Thiago. The Reds have won 20 of 22 games with those two in the middle, and Naby Keita’s display against Benfica could convince Klopp to play him here. But given the significance of the game and in respect of City’s home advantage, Jordan Henderson should start this one to maintain organization throughout the match.
Upfront is another tricky one, but I think we’ve already seen Liverpool’s most productive forward line this season. Luis Diaz, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah lead the line, with hopes that Salah can get back into form with a good performance. Roberto Firmino is a solid option to bring on with the potential of switching to 4-2-3-1 if we need to later in the game.
It’s likely to be a tense watch with so much on the line. The city has had a few matches of late where they’ve struggled to score, and that should play into the hands of one of the best defenses in the Premier League.
Score prediction: Manchester City 1 – 2 Liverpool
