Manchester City v Liverpool: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Manchester City host Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday and Racing Post's James Milton has picked out his three best bets for the clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City v Liverpool betting tips and predictions

Liverpool to win & over 3.5 goals @ 3/1

Manchester City and Liverpool have been involved in some high-calibre Premier League title battles in recent seasons, but there are question marks over both sides coming into Sunday's showdown at the Etihad Stadium.

City's grim 2024/25 campaign continued on Wednesday when they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid at the first knockout stage.

Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick sealed a 3-1 Real win on the night and a 6-3 aggregate victory, as City were outclassed by the European champions in Madrid.

Their hopes of landing a fifth straight Premier League title were effectively dashed by a miserable run of results in the autumn and they are 17 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played one more game than City.

Arne Slot's Reds have suffered their first wobble of the season, losing 1-0 at Championship strugglers Plymouth in the FA Cup and conceding a dramatic injury-time equaliser at derby rivals Everton.

They had some nervy moments in last weekend's 2-1 home win over Wolves and dropped points in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, despite taking a 29th-minute lead through Mohamed Salah.

However, City's recent record against top-class opponents suggest Liverpool can claim victory in a match featuring over 3.5 goals.

The Citizens lost 4-2 at PSG in the UEFA Champions League in January, letting slip a 2-0 lead, and Pep Guardiola's men fell apart in the second half of this month's 5-1 league defeat at Arsenal.

Their defence crumbled again in 3-2 and 3-1 losses to Real and, while Liverpool have not been at their best in recent weeks, they still look a cut above their struggling hosts.

Diogo Jota to score at any time @ 7/4

Liverpool substitute Darwin Nunez missed a great chance in the draw at Villa and starting striker Diogo Jota also had a frustrating night in front of goal.

Having set up Salah's opener, the Portugal international should have done better with a first-half opportunity and he hit the crossbar early in the second half.

Injuries have restricted Jota to only two Premier League starts since October, but he has had 10 shots in just 130 minutes during those appearances against Wolves and Villa.

Before then, he came off the bench to score against Fulham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, racking up four attempts at goal in just 24 minutes against in-form Forest at the City Ground.

Jota has never been a regular starter during his Anfield career, but still he has an excellent record in the league, scoring 46 goals at a rate of one every 142 minutes.

The Citizens' defensive vulnerabilities were ruthlessly exposed by Real over the two legs of their UEFA Champions League tie and Liverpool's frontman should get chances on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold to have over 1.5 shots @ 2/1

Liverpool beat Man City 2-0 in December's reverse fixture at Anfield, where seven of the Reds' 18 attempts at goal came from their defenders.

Marauding right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of their main attacking threats, having three shots including a fine strike from outside the box that grazed the post.

He scored a second-half equaliser at Villa Park on Wednesday and looks like a good bet to have at least two efforts at goal in Manchester.

Capable of troubling opposing goalkeepers both from open play and direct free-kicks, the England man has had two or more shots in five of his last six league starts.

Just before that run, Alexander-Arnold had three attempts in the Boxing Day win over Leicester City and scored in the 5-0 rout of West Ham three days later.

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Manchester City v Liverpool odds

Manchester City - 2/1
Draw - 29/10
Liverpool - 23/20

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.