The Premier League is back in action on Saturday with a bang as Manchester City take on Liverpool.
The teams occupy the top two spots nine games into the season and could be setting up for a title race with this matchup. City can keep their hold on first place with a win or draw, while the Reds have the opportunity to leapfrog them with a victory since they sit just one point behind.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 25 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Etihad Stadium — Manchester, England
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Manchester City -133; Draw +350; Liverpool +360
Storylines
Manchester City: The reigning champions have hit their stride in recent weeks, and have won four of their last five games by at least two goals. That form was disrupted right before the international break with their wild 4-4 draw at Chelsea that demonstrated some defensive room for improvement, and how they might stack up against one of England’s more competitive sides.
City have mostly gone untested this season, so a matchup against Liverpool could showcase if they are in good position to repeat as Premier League winners. There might be some question marks in attack for this particular fixture, though — Erling Haaland picked up an ankle injury while with Norway during the international break and could miss this game. The early kickoff might mean the turnaround is too quick for Julian Alvarez, who is traveling from Brazil after Argentina’s 1-0 win at the Maracana on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola might call upon newcomer Jeremy Doku, who is slowly beginning to show his credentials to be a mainstay for City.
Liverpool: The Reds have three wins in their last five but recently hit a pair of rough patches. Liverpool drew 1-1 with promotion side Luton Town on Nov. 5 and followed that up with a loss at Toulouse in Europa League action just days later, but rebounded just before the break with a 3-0 win over Brentford.
Mohamed Salah has four goals during that stretch and could play a major role on Saturday, as could Diogo Jota with two goals in the team’s last five games. As is the case for City’s Alvarez, Alisson and Alexis Mac Allister will be in England after a lengthy trip from Rio de Janeiro.
Prediction
City are the favorites to win the title for a reason, and should be able to win if Guardiola gets all the decisions right. Liverpool are anticipated to put up a fair fight so expect a narrow scoreline. Pick: Manchester City 1, Liverpool 0