Manchester City vs Liverpool: Predictions and Preview

Manchester City vs Liverpool
Champions League Quarterfinal Second Leg
Date: 10th April 2018, Tuesday
Kick-off at 19:45 UK/ 20:45 CET
Venue: Etihad Stadium (Manchester).

Can Manchester City make a dramatic comeback when they meet Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final on Tuesday?

The bragging rights of all-England affair in the Champions League belong to Liverpool, at least until Tuesday, as they bagged a memorable 3-0 win at Anfield last Wednesday. A Reds win in that particular fixture was predicted by our experts, but we are all surprised by the magnitude of the victory. City have a mountain to climb and things are not looking good at the Etihad after squandering a 2 goal lead to loss 2-3 against Manchester United on the weekend.

Furthermore, Pep Guardiola lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Also their last two home games are losses. Basel was the team that did it before city rivals United. I certainly doubt if the tight schedule has taken a toll on the runaway Premier League leaders.

Meantime, Liverpool are on a green patch at the moment. They are unbeaten in four with the latest a lackluster goal-less draw at Goodison Park against Everton. Also, they have a run of easy fixtures to finish the Premier League and Klopp can focus totally on the Champions League.

Yet, Liverpool’s away record against stronger sides is not a positive one. Earlier this season, they were thrashed 5-0 at the Etihad, then 4-1 at Tottenham. They team also lost 2-1 in March at the Old Trafford. We can conclude that they do enjoy going away to teams sitting in the top 4 of the domestic table.

Manchester City vs Liverpool: Head-to-head

• With the first leg win, Liverpool have now won 4 of their last 6 competitive games against Manchester City, drew 1 and lost 1. Still, all four wins in the period came at the Anfield.
• The last three h2h matches between the sides saw over 2.5 goals.
• Manchester City’s home record against Liverpool in recent years is 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses from 10 games.
• Seven of those at the Etihad recorded over 2.5 goals.
• Both teams scored at Etihad in 5 of the last 6.
• Liverpool’s most recent visit to the Etihad was a humiliating 5-0 loss in a match that saw Sadio Mane sent-off after 37 minutes.

Manchester City vs Liverpool: Predictions

The Citizens will win against Liverpool in Tuesday’s Champions League second leg, but I doubt if they can overturn the massive 3-0 deficit. This tournament over the years have seen some dramatic comebacks. So, Pep will be positive on his team’s chances, also considering the recent injury concerns in the Reds camp. That’s right, Mohammed Salah is a huge doubt for this fixture, Jordan Henderson is suspended and Emre Can is injured.

However, it will be worth to note that teams that took a 3-0 lead to the away leg lost just 6 time out of the overall 126 in Champions League history.