Whatever your plans are or were on Saturday afternoon…cancel them. As if one wasn’t enough, City welcome Liverpool back to the Etihad. This time they are needing to settle a dispute over a spot in the FA Cup final and personally I cannot wait to see how it all plays out.
You and I both know this is going to be brilliant. So I’m going to stop and get on with this preview already!
To Win (90 mins)
Manchester City 13/10
Draw 49/20
Liverpool 2/1
Manchester City
As a point of departure, let us not fall into the ever-growing idea that City will ‘prioritize’ this or ‘rest players’ for that. Don’t get me wrong, this might literally be the case – especially in this fixture – but it shouldn’t be used in a punting conversation where this side is concerned!
Pep Guardiola has a strong side at his disposal, and he will know that neither his players nor fans will want to lose this one. It is a pivotal encounter in terms of momentum and confidence – but also because this tournament remains a jewel in the English football crown!
City are the favourites with Hollywoodbets pricing them up at 13/10…I cannot say I disagree with the estimation considering the game we saw on Sunday. City were excellent in the first half and successfully put themselves in the ascendency at the Etihad.
There was a nervous edge to the atmosphere inside the Etihad, but once they were able to show they could get in behind Liverpool’s defensive line and ask questions of Alisson their supporters made their voices heard.
I think a crucial and poignant point from the game, however, was not only the inherent quality and brilliance of Manchester City but also the continued and sustained fight that one should just come to expect when they play Liverpool. City looked good when they were ahead, but after Liverpool replied twice, they seemed to go into a slight panic mode.
For me, it is a red flag – but I might be reading too much into it.
Liverpool
Liverpool is in red-hot form going into the game and Jurgen Klopp may very well still have a fully fit squad to pick from. There will be no uncertainty with his side visiting the Etihad once again and I think mentally the Reds travel with the competitive edge.
Enough has been made and said about these two sides, we know they possess quality. We know they each have a world-class manager. And so, what really splits them could literally be confidence and ‘feel’.
I think the game will be very close again, we saw these two play out to a 2-2 draw last Sunday and for the most part, I wouldn’t be surprised to see much of the same. At different moments each side enjoyed control of the fixture. They both inevitably felt as though they could go on and win it, but it was the mentality of the Liverpool side which impressed me most.
The visitors had to claw their way back into the game twice and the second time they looked to knock the stuffing out of City. I might be treading on disrespectful here, but Pep’s side just didn’t look as though they were their usual composed selves after Sadio Mane equalized.
From a punting point though, the draw is not usually a bet too many people will want to get behind. Of course, our instinct is to back a winner and have some clout when we are screaming and shouting our side or bet to victory! This game should be different – a draw is the smart bet in my opinion, and I think it could land once again.
Prediction: Liverpool To Qualify (21/20)
I wouldn’t be surprised to see this encounter play out to another exciting stalemate (yes, we are allowed to refer to stalemates played with this amount of quality as ‘exciting’.)
The difference for me is that this is a cup game; the pressure won’t grow as the game changes and already be in place before the referee blows his whistle. Both sides know what they need to do – simple. I don’t think there is as much nuance and pressure as the league game and so whilst I still back a draw in 90 minutes, I suggest we take a cover bet and get on the Liverpool train. At 21/20 I don’t think I need to convince you too much, but you’ll thank me later.
Oh, and by the way – I think we can say ‘provident fund confidence’!
