Liverpool vs Man City Premier League Betting Tips

8th March 2024

The magnitude of this game cannot be overstated: At this stage of the season it could be a title decider. Although, not if Arsenal have anything to do with it,

All three clubs have played 27 games. Liverpool are top with 63 points, Manchester City are second with 62 points, Arsenal are third with 61 points. You couldn’t get much closer. It’s shaping up to be one of the greatest Premier League title races of all time.

Arsenal have won 7 games in a row in the Premier League, including beating Liverpool. But they lost against Liverpool in the FA Cup and then flopped at Porto in the Champions League. 

Man City are unbeaten in 20 games in all competitions, a run that stretches back to 6th December 2023 when they lost 1-0 at Aston Villa. Of those 20 games, 18 were wins, which is quite ominous for everyone else. A treble for the second season in a row really is possible.

City rested Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden as they defeated FC Copenhagen 3-1 on Wednesday night, to make it 6-2 on aggregate. Ruben Dias only played 68 minutes and was then subbed off for John Stones, while Rodri played only the first half. They also played a day earlier than Liverpool. This will mean City come into this game really fresh.

Liverpool, on the other hand, battered Sparta Prague on Thursday night 5-1, a result which means they have now won 7 in a row in all competitions since that defeat at Arsenal. Liverpool rested Virgil van Dijk but he was called into action just before the 50 minute mark as Ibrahima Konate was forced off with injury. Another injury which adds to the Anfield side’s worrying list. Mo Salah had also been rested but came on for Luis Diaz. We were actually surprised with the strength of the the team that Klopp played, when they have City three days later, who had an extra day’s rest plus fewer injuries.

Liverpool v Manchester City Match Winner Market

(Please note all odds are correct at time of article publishing)

Liverpool 2/1 (Coral)

Draw 11/4 (Bet365)

Man City 5/4 (BetFred)

With the ridiculous injury problems Liverpool have (noted below), the fact Man City have had an extra day’s rest, the fact City could rest more players in Europe than Liverpool, we just can’t see past a City win. Especially when you factor in Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland are back from injury and playing brilliantly, and the fact that City are – officially – the best team in the world.

So, the 5/4 offered up by BetFred is more than ample.

 

Anytime Goalscorer

(Selected)

Erling Haaland 11/10 (Bet365)

Mo Salah 6/4 (Bet365)

Darwin Nunez 15/8 (Ladbrokes)

Julian Alvarez 14/5 (Coral)

Phil Foden 3/1 (Bet365)

Cody Gakpo 3/1 (Bet365)

It’s obviously very tempting to go with Erling Haaland and Mo Salah here. And don’t let us put you off a bet on either or both of those. But we feel the value lies with Phil Foden at 3/1 with Bet365. Foden has been in sensational form this season, scoring 18 goals in 4o games in all competitions, which includes 3 goals in his last 2 games.

After Haaland’s sensational season last year, such is the threat that other teams find him, they sometimes seem to focus most of their attention on stopping him. If that happens again here – and we feel it might – it will give Foden more space and freedom once again.

Handicap Betting

Man City -1  3/1 (Coral)

We have already outlined why we feel City will win. There’s only one selection we are interested in in the Handicap Betting market and that is City -1. It’s a risky bet, of course, but with everything we have mentioned it’s very possible that City could go there and win 2-0 or 3-1, definitely. A lot will depend on how fit Mo Salah is. But we like the look of this market, for a small stake.

Injury News

As mentioned above, Liverpool have a horrific injury list. Definitely missing the game on Sunday are Alisson, Ibrahima Konate, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Thiago, Joel Matip, Ryan Gravenberch, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak. It’s almost a full team, and a good one at that. Joe Gomez was also subbed off on Thursday against Slavia Prague, but Jurgen Klopp has said that was just a precaution so he should be fit to play.

Man City are without Jack Grealish while Jeremy Doku is also a doubt.

Betting Recommendations

Man City to win 5/4 (BetFred)  5 points

Phil Foden to score anytime 3/1 (Bet365)  2 points

Man City -1  3/1 (Coral)  1 point