One of the biggest games in the Premier League will be played on Sunday as Liverpool takes on Manchester City in Anfield. Both teams are yet to lose a game in the league this season and will be hoping they can keep such feat intact after the game on Sunday.
There are a lot of things to consider in the game but here are five key things to look out for in the game
Man City’s Anfield nightmare
There are some things that just cannot be explained and City's results in Liverpool are an anomaly that hangs over the team whenever they make the short trip to the red half of Merseyside.
City have not won at Anfield since May 2003, losing 15 of their 21 trips to the stadium during the Premier League era. Last season, Guardiola's team suffered their first league defeat at Anfield and were also crushed 3-0 in the Champions League in front of The Kop.
So they will travel to Liverpool this weekend knowing that they must draw a line under their losing history at Anfield and find a way to banish the negative thoughts that come with such a dismal sequence of results.
The battle of tactics: Klopp vs Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have faced each other on 14 previous occasions, with the Liverpool manager Klopp winning seven encounters. Guardiola has won five, with two draws making up the numbers.
Klopp's statistics have been boosted significantly by three successive victories against Guardiola's City team already in 2018 and there is a real sense going into this weekend's game that the German has cracked the code when it comes to nullifying Guardiola's teams.
Under Klopp, Liverpool swarm their opponents in the attacking third and deny them time on the ball, a tactic that has repeatedly caused City problems. Guardiola will have spent hours attempting to devise a plan to swing the pendulum back in his favour against Klopp. For these reasons, the tactical battle will be an intriguing element of the game.
Salah vs his form
Egytian international Mo Salah scored three goals in four games against Manchester City last season and his performances against Guardiola's team were some of his best of a stunning campaign. But the Egyptian has started slowly this season, scoring just three times so far, and he goes into Sunday's game without a goal in three matches.
It is hardly a barren run but when compared to Salah's output last season, it is perhaps a worry when placed alongside his below-par performances. Salah has yet to hit his stride and he was poor against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week.
Liverpool need him firing on all cylinders against City if they are win.
Underrated players coming into the party: Milner vs Fernandinho
Call this the "James Milner factor." The likes of Salah, Aguero and Raheem Sterling may claim the spotlight, but the secret of both teams is the work done by those players who often go unnoticed.
Milner, who left City for Liverpool in 2015 to secure regular football, is in the form of his life at the age of 32, giving Klopp's team experience, reliability and tenacity in the heart of midfield. The former Leeds and Newcastle midfielder is never less than a 7/10 performer, his contribution rubbing off on the likes of Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are also key to Liverpool's sparkling start to the season.
For City, Fernandinho is the glue that holds it all together in the heart of the team. At 33, he remains a crucial figure. Fabian Delph has also become a key man at full-back, while Kyle Walker's energy and pace down the right flank is another huge part of City's game.
Goalkeeping departments: Alisson vs Ederson
There is an old adage that you cannot win a league title without a reliable goalkeeper. After struggling between the sticks with the unconvincing Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius, Liverpool finally sorted their keeper situation by signing Alisson Becker from Roma. The Brazil number one has given Liverpool a genuinely commanding presence in goal.
Ederson, Alisson's understudy for Brazil, made a similar impact at City last season after arriving from Benfica to replace the erratic Claudio Bravo. A good goalkeeper gives a team confidence and a sense of security, and although both Alisson and Ederson take risks, they have both made their teams stronger by their presence.
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