Last domestic game before another international break… 🙄
vLiverpool
Etihad Stadium
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game which, for me blog wise, was our home victory againstBournemouth: 10/11.
*A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 (occasional 3-6-1):*
____________________Haaland____________________
__Doku_________________________________Cherki__
_________Silva (C) _________________Foden__________
____________________Gonzalez___________________
O’Reilly___________________________________Nunes
__________Gvardiol______________Dias (VC) __________
__________________Donnarumma_________________
**Subs:**Trafford, Ait-Nouri, Lewis, Stones, Kovacic, Reijnders, Bobb, Savinho and Omar.
Gigi in net.
I’m going for a back-4 of Nico, Josko, Ruben and Matheus and I don’t think we’ll see too much of that defence melding into a 3 as much as we’re used to this afternoon.
Nico just ahead of those and ahead of the Spanish defensive midfielder I think it’ll be Jeremy, Bernardo, Phil and Rayan-C-.
Erling up front.
James is reserve keeper; Rayan-A-, Rico and John make up three defenders on the side. Matteo and Tijjani provide midfield cover, Oscar and Savinho give us wide options from ‘the 9’ and Omar is an alternative striker we have in our arsenal.
Notableabsences:
-Marcus Bettinelli – Not selected.
-Stefan Ortega– Not selected.
-Abdukodir Khusanov – Not selected.
-Nathan Ake – Not selected.
-Kalvin Phillips– Not selected.
-Rodri– May make the bench but unlikely, as the Management Team slowly nurture the Spaniard back to health before a busy November, December and January; following the second international break of the season after this fixture.
Do I agree withPep’s (predicted) line-up?
Yep.
Result?
A side very much in form, apart from a 1-0 away blip late October vs a side with two solid victories against very good, in form teams; following a run of horrible results for them to say the least. This was always going to be a frenetic, closely contested match but I would say even more so on this occasion.
I’m just going to come straight to it without too much more analysis – I’m having this one down as a draw.
Are we capable of beating the reds of Merseyside? The way we’ve been playing recently, attack wise, fills me with considerable confidence. And it’s not just the number of goals we’re scoring - the way we’re zipping the ball around and working so hard to win the ball back and then retain it is very impressive.
But we’re still not a very solid unit and against weapons such as Liverpool have it does leave us somewhat vulnerable…as are they at the back, I am keen to add. I can't see this being 0-0.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:
Prediction: Draw
Result: Lost
(Pre-match blog posting from that game)
Expected weather conditions during the game :The day started promising but light rain began to move in mid-morning and will last throughout the match. It could even get quite heavy at some point. 12-13C is the top temperature. Chilly and murky would sum it up nicely and the pitch should be perfectly watered for a fast-paced game.🌂🧥🥧🍺⚽
Solidarity