Two of this season's Premier League title contenders clash on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City host Liverpool. Last season this fixture ended 1-1 as Sergio Aguero made it all square after James Milner had opened the scoring with a penalty kick, but Liverpool did beat Manchester City 1-0 at home with a goal scored by Georginio Wijnaldum. Liverpool have won four of the last six direct meetings and Manchester City have not beaten the Reds since a 3-1 home victory in 2014.
Manchester City had a decent start to the season but seemed to do better away from home as they beat both Brighton and Bournemouth, while at the Etihad Stadium they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton. That match could have gone worse for the Citizens, but Raheem Sterling rescued a point for them with a late goal. The England international will not play on Saturday due to suspension, but Kyle Walker will be available after having served his ban. Ilkay Gundogan has not yet recovered from his injury, while captain Vincent Kompany has fitness problems and will probably sit this one out.
Liverpool had an almost perfect start to the season, the only match they didn't win was the Premier League campaign opener at Watford. That match ended 3-3 but after that Liverpool recorded four consecutive wins in all competitions, including a double victory over Hoffenheim which earned them a place in the Champions League group stage and the 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal last time out. Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana are injured and will miss out, while new signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will probably be on the bench.
Probable line-ups:
Man City: Ederson - Kompany, Stones, Otamendi - Walker, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, D. Silva, Danilo - Aguero, Jesus
Liverpool: Mignolet - Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Robertson - Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum - Mane, Firmino, Salah
My prediction: 2-2 draw.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Man City win - 1.83
Draw - 4.00
Liverpool win - 3.75
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