A familiar foe lies in wait for Manchester City as they return from the international break, with Liverpool ready to deal an almighty blow to the title hopes of their great rivals. The first Premier League game of the weekend could yet be a decisive one in the title race; if Pep Guardiola's side were to win then the pressure would be firmly on Arsenal. Any dropped points, however, and the Gunners could stretch their lead into double figures.
It is, then, an inopportune moment for City to find themselves without Phil Foden and perhaps Erling Haaland. The former will miss the game after an operation on his appendix, the latter is a doubt after withdrawing from international duty with Norway. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
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Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, April 1 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Etihad Stadium -- Manchester, United Kingdom
- TV/Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Manchester City -163; Draw +300; Liverpool +450 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Manchester City: Having not been pictured in training on Thursday, Haaland is emerging as a potential doubt, one which would bring with it major headaches for Guardiola at a decisive stage of the season. City have adjusted significantly to bring the best out of their No.9 since his arrival in the summer, it may be that their response if he cannot play against Liverpool is just to return to the blueprint that brought such success in past years with Julian Alvarez, for instance, filling the gap up top.
Equally with Foden also absent there could be something of a slog for City to get back to their best without Haaland. It perhaps does not help that as late as Friday lunchtime there was no certainty as to whether the Premier League's top scorer will be able to play any part. "Haaland is in recovery and we'll see how he feels in the last training session," said Guardiola.
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Liverpool: The trip to the Etihad begins a pivotal run of three games in which Jurgen Klopp's side could revive their hope of a top four finish or crash out of the European picture entirely. Tuesday will bring a trip to Chelsea whilst on Sunday they will welcome Arsenal to Anfield; more than just top four, these games could also dictate who wins the Premier League title.
Liverpool's attacking options are swelling for this decisive run of games with Luis Diaz back in training after five months out. A place in the squad for the Colombian has come too soon but he should be back soon and Darwin Nunez is expected to be available after withdrawing from the Uruguay squad. Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic, however, will be missing.
Prediction
Liverpool tend to raise their game whenever facing off against City and with so much at stake for Klopp's men, they might just deliver a good enough performance to get something at the Etihad. PICK: Manchester City 2, Liverpool 2
