Liverpool will feel aggrieved that City have been found guilty of rule-breaking considering that the Reds often finished second behind Pep Guardiola's champions. They'll look to get the better of their north-west rivals at Anfield on Sunday, with Andoni Iraola seeing the Merseyside outfit claim a precious three points at Bournemouth before the international break.
City have scored thirteen goals across their five victories and will hope to repeat last season's win at Anfield which was claimed in dramatic fashion. Since losing the Community Shield clash against Arsenal, it's been seven wins in all competitions, with the latest success being a 5-3 triumph against Sunderland which suggests goals might be on the cards here.
Liverpool v Manchester City Betting Markets
The bookies can't call the outcome of this Premier League showdown. Both teams are given a roughly 37% chance of success in a fixture which is always eagerly-awaited. Liverpool have drawn both their Anfield clashes thus far, with Nottingham Forest and Fulham having both held the Reds. However, the Merseyside outfit did beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and there was also a Carabao Cup win over Tottenham.
Liverpool are unbeaten this season, having rescued a 2-2 draw at Newcastle in their opener and there have been victories on the road at Ipswich and Bournemouth. Andoni Iraola is still trying to bed down attacking principles within the group, although he'll be pleased that Alexander Isak is starting to find the net on a regular basis after a difficult first season.
Manchester City are on a winning run and they'll be annoyed that their streak was disrupted by a lengthy international break. However, the past couple of weeks has seen a storm swirl around the Etihad Stadium considering that the Premier League charges have come to light. It will be interesting to see how the team react to off-the-field drama.
It's possible that City will be subjected to a points deduction at some stage this season, although they're regarded as the slightly better team than Liverpool. Given that they're the away team with the same odds as the hosts, then the Premier League betting sites rate them more highly and every assignment has been passed since that Community Shield defeat.
The past two matches have seen City score five goals apiece, with that coming after a dramatic 1-0 success at Old Trafford, with a win at Porto also coming in the Champions League. The visitors are going for the win here, although perhaps the draw could be the best bet.
Goals Under/Over
Over 2.5 Goals is operating at odds of around 1.57. This suggests that the combined goals total of Liverpool and Manchester City is a 64% chance of being three or more. It's hardly a surprise when you consider the scoring power of both teams, with three of City's five Premier League games having gone over the 2.5 line so far.
The 5-3 win over Sunderland laid bare the team's attacking prowess but also some defensive vulnerabilities and Liverpool will be keen to exploit them. The Reds' past two top-flight encounters have been low on goals, with a goalless draw against Fulham coming before a slender 1-0 victory at Bournemouth.
All three of the meetings between Liverpool and City yielded at least three goals last season. However, the previous four clashes saw the goal total go under 2.5 and perhaps there might be some caginess from both sides.
BTTS
BTTS Yes is trading at an even shorter price than Over 2.5 Goals although it should be noted that BTTS No has been a more profitable wager for this match in recent seasons. In the past five meetings, BTTS Yes has only happened on one occasion. That was the Anfield clash last season, with the game being goalless until the final twenty minutes when Liverpool took the lead only to be overhauled come the final whistle.
One way to look at this game is that City are highly likely to score a goal. After all, it's been seven straight clashes in all competitions that Enzo Maresca's side has found the net. There have been twenty goals notched and we don't need to highlight the scoring power of Erling Haaland who is flanked by lots of other great attacking options.
Although Liverpool drew a blank at home to Fulham, they have scored in their other four Premier League clashes. Indeed, the Reds have racked up at least two goals in five matches across all competitions this term. The home crowd will be urging them to attack opponents who conceded three at home to Sunderland three weeks ago.
First Goalscorer
It's no surprise that Erling Haaland is averaging a goal per game this season, with the Norwegian returning from international duty to pick up where he left off. The striker scored the winning goal in this fixture last term and will be bidding to score for a sixth consecutive clash in all competitions. It's always hard to bet against him finding the net and he's got a solid track record at Anfield.
Antoine Semenyo came to the fore when notching a brace against Sunderland as part of a 5-3 win. Enzo Fernandez was off the mark for his team in that match, with Rayan Cherki having also scored. There are lots of viable options and the same applies to Liverpool.
Alexander Isak has four goals on the board after a promising start to the season, with the Liverpool forward having ended a run of four games without a goal by scoring the winner at Bournemouth. The former Newcastle man will be eager to record more goals at Anfield and he's got the proven class to find the net against any opponent.
