Manchester City underdogs at Anfield for first time in Premier League since 2017/18

With Manchester City’s form spiralling, we’ve made them underdogs to win at Anfield for the first time since January 2018.

Even in November 2019, with Liverpool having won 10 and drawn one of their opening 11 games, City were still marginal favourites. Of course, Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead at Anfield when the two sides met, going on to win 3-1 and win a first Premier League title.

While Anfield affairs between Liverpool and City have often been tight – of the eight trips Pep Guardiola has made to Merseyside, three have ended in draws and three have been decided by the odd goal – City have been favourites for ever meeting since October 2018.

But such is their recent form, losing five of their last six which included the humbling 4-1 defeat to Sporting CP and the bewildering 4-0 defeat to Tottenham, they'll head to Liverpool as underdogs.

bet365’s Sports and Trading expert Steve Freeth said: “City have now extended their winless run to six games in all competitions, throwing away a 3-0 goal lead at home to Feyenoord and now Pep Guardiola has to pick himself and his troops up to visit a place where they’ve struggled under his guidance.

“Not only are they underdogs on Sunday, Manchester City are currently trading at the biggest price they’ve ever been to win at Anfield since Pep took over in 2016.”

You have to go all the way back to New Year’s Eve in 2016 during Jurgen Klopp’s first full season when Guardiola had been in England for a few months for the last time the prices were similar going into this fixture, emphasising his side’s struggles in recent weeks.

Naturally, Guardiola’s defenders will point to the absence of Rodri; an instrumental piece of the City jigsaw, but the side have also been without primary playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and key centre-half Ruben Dias.

Since Dias’s injury, City haven’t won a game, losing all three in the Premier League, and going back to the start of the 2022/23 season, City have picked up 2.5 points per game when Dias has started compared to just 1.7 when he hasn’t.

Of course, while hitman Erling Haaland hasn’t caused Guardiola any injury troubles, the absence of De Bruyne impacts the Norwegian’s output. Haaland scored nine goals in the first four games of the season prior to De Bruyne’s injury; he’s scored three in eight since.

The good news for Guardiola is that De Bruyne is working his way back to full fitness, with Dias also back from injury.

So good have Liverpool been this season that City may have already dropped too many points to be able to close the gap. Guardiola has still got trips to Tottenham, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Arsenal to come and that’s after a daunting visit to what will no doubt be a rocking Anfield.

We’ve seen City come good in the second half of the season so many times that nobody will be writing them off just yet.

But if they’re to keep their ambitions of a fifth straight title alive, they can’t afford to leave Anfield empty-handed on Sunday.

Liam Williams

• Manchester City F.C.
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