Liverpool are in incredible form at the moment and Anfield looks a formidable place to visit once more. Well, for any teams not named Nottingham Forest anyway.
Form
It has to be said, Liverpool are looking good. Many thought they would struggle after Jurgen Klopp left and Arne Slot took over, but they have looked stronger than ever in the first part of the season. Whether they can hold that form until May is another matter, but for now, they look just as good as the great team of the 80s.
The Reds are unbeaten in 15 matches, since a 1-0 home defeat to Forest in September. That shock defeat ended a run of three successive victories, however, Liverpool have won 14 of their following 15 matches, only dropping points in a 2-2 draw at Arsenal.
Liverpool have the second best home form in the league, with five wins and one loss, bettered only by Brentford, who have won five and drawn one of their six at home. Last time out, Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 to go top of the Champions League table, and their last league outing at Anfield saw them beat Aston Villa 2-0. Their highest league win to date at home is a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth
The Reds are not prolific goalscorers at home, having score 11 in 6 league matches, but they have the best defensive record, conceding just three on home turf. With City losing their last two away matches in the league, scoring ten goals and conceding seven, the Blues will no doubt have their work cut out for them on Sunday afternoon.
Ones to Watch
Despite his apparent contract dispute, Mo Salah is once again leading the charge for Liverpool. So far, the striker has scored ten goals from 12 matches, converting around a quarter of his shots taken. Luis Diaz is next on the Liverpool scoring chart, having bagged five goals from his twelve matches played. Diaz has converted 24% of his 21 chances.
If City want to stop Liverpool on Sunday, they will need to stop Salah and Diaz in their tracks. The Egyptian Salah has created 22 chances for his teammates, six of which have been converted. Salah has attempted 349 passes with 260 completed, giving him a pass accuracy of 74%.
Meanwhile, the Colombian winger Diaz has created 17 chances, with two being converted. However, from his 247 attempted passes, 213 have been completed, giving him a better pass accuracy than Salah with 86%. It’s also worth giving Diego Jota a mention too. The Portuguese midfielder may miss the weekend’s clash through injury however, the Blues will need to watch him if he plays.
Jota also has two assists but has only created three chances for his team. Jota has only played seven times this season and has a pass accuracy of 68%. However, if he does feature, he will likely raise his game against the champions on home soil.
The Boss
New Liverpool boss Arne Slot had big boots to fill after Jurgen Klopp left Anfield at the end of last season. However, the Dutchman has hit the ground running with his new club and Liverpool supporters will be hoping he can deliver a second Premier League title to the Reds.
Slot has managed just 19 games for Liverpool, but with 17 wins and one defeat, he boasts and enviable win ratio of 89%.
Last Time at Anfield
It was looking good for City when they visited Anfield last March. The Blues had taken a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute thanks to a well worked corner and a smart finish by John Stones. However, Alexis Mac Allister levelled for the home side from the penalty spot five minutes into the second half to deny the Blues the point.
It was a controversial game when Mac Allister’s chest threw itself at Jeremy Doku’s high foot, but the offence was deemed not a penalty by anyone.
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