Liverpool vs. Manchester City and Pick to Win
Date:Sunday, March 19th 2017
Where: English Premier League Etihad Stadium – Manchester, UK
by Keith, Professional Soccer/Football Handicapper, Predictem
Match Odds: Liverpool 3/1, Draw 13/5, Manchester City 1/1 (EVENS)
Moneyline: Liverpool +300, Draw +260, Manchester City +100
Over/Under Best Market: OVER 3.5 17/10 (+170)
Once again the Football Capital of England, the North West will be back at odds as the Merseyside and Cottonopolis clash in a battle of Greater Liverpool against Greater Manchester when The Citizens of Manchester City take on the Reds of Liverpool. Man Citys powder blue now sits in third place with 56 points, playing host to the Reds who trail them by a point in fourth place with 55 points. After Manchester City pulled off a win against Middlesborough, the Blues now sit at 4-0-2 in their previous six contests. With this stellar level of play, the Citizens are set up to win big here in Clayton at the Etihad playing host to the Reds. The winner will have a clear track to Champions League qualification. Arsenal is malingering in the rear with 50 points and needless to say an Arsenal win and a loss for the loser puts the Gunners within striking distance. Contrarily, if Manchester win to win and Arsenal were to stumble, the Blues could be nine points clear of the Gunners and virtually lock up a Champions League qualification with a victory.
Manchester City has since demolished any opponents they have encountered as of late for the most part, whether it be in Champions League, English Premier League or FA Cup considerations. The dominance has been a staple of the beginning of the Pep Guardiola era. City has scored at will and their personnel have lit up the opposition. In Champions League and FA Cup fixtures which span their recent docket of success, the Blues have scored 10 goals alone against Huddersfield Town and Monaco. As we have said before and we will say it again City has a plethora of weapons in their arsenal and they are certainly relishing the opportunity to exert their will and dominate. City doesnt just have Aguero and Stirling to lead the show any more. They have De Bruyne, they have Yaya Toure back from a hold out and they have an emerging talent in Gabriel Jesus. This team continues to evolve under the captainship of Guardiola and are set up perfectly to finish the 2016-17 campaign with a bang. Will they catch Chelsea? That remains an uncertainty but they have a great chance of making it interesting.
After getting off to a hot start, Liverpool has since tapered off a bit as their inconsistent defensive tactics have finally caught up to them. Skipper Jurgen Klopp has propelled the Reds forward to some impressive victories over Arsenal and Tottenham but they have shown to be vulnerable to let-downs against the likes of Hull City and Leicester City. Overall, the Reds are 3-2-1 in their previous six fixtures. Given their flare for playing at a high level against elite teams, the Reds are a sexy pick here against Manchester City. However, Liverpool will not be afforded the privileges of playing this one at Anfield and that could be a big problem.
You know our stance, laying juice is always a dangerous move especially when the expectations are through the ceiling. Normally this would be the case when Manchester City is at home. But given the situation, the Cityzens are offered here at a fantastic price. While Manchester City may not go on to win this league, it would be superfluous to call for a Liverpool upset at Etihad Stadium. It would even be safe to say that a draw may be out of question here. While the odds are deceptively good, they are designed to entice and attract attention away from Man City. We saw the Blues enter in similar capacity to Arsenal when they hosted them earlier this season at the Etihad Campus. Man City would win and do so convincingly.
Given the potency of both attacks and both clubs propensity to concede goals overall, the Over/Under here at 3.5 goals offers tremendous upside at 17/10 or +170. All in all we stand to risk two units with a potential yield of 2.7 units. Look for Manchester City to light it up here but both teams should find the back of the net.
Liverpool Recent Form
W Burnley 2-1
W Arsenal 3-1
L Leicester City 1-3
W Tottenham Hotspur 2-0
L Hull City 0-2
Manchester City Recent Form
W Middlesbrough 2-0
D Stoke City 0-0
W Sunderland 2-0
W Huddersfield Town 5-1
W – Monaco 5-0
Keith’s Prediction for the Game: MANCHESTER CITY (EVENS) and OVER 3.5 17/10 (+170)
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