Peter Crouch has given his prediction for Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday, finding it ‘a tough one’ to call between the last two champions of the division.
Both teams go into the game at Anfield off the back of wins over Newcastle, with the Reds returning to winning ways in the top flight last weekend and Pep Guardiola’s side ending the Magpies’ hopes of retaining the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Arne Slot has been beset by defensive injuries of late but is hopeful of having Joe Gomez back in time for this fixture, while the visitors are set to be without Bernardo Silva on top of confirmed absences such as Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones.
Crouch predicts Liverpool v Man City
On the latest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, the former Liverpool striker was asked for his prediction for the match at Anfield, and he couldn’t separate the two sides.
He said: “This is always a tough one, isn’t it? I’d like to go for 2-2 because it’s been working for me and I can just see it.”
The 45-year-old also predicted the identity of the first goalscorer, proclaiming: “I’m going to go with Hugo Ekitike to score first.”
Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Liverpool v Man City is indeed a tough one to call
The recent wins over Qarabag and Newcastle ensure that Liverpool go into Sunday’s match on a high, but that was also the case the last time they faced Man City in November and they were duly pummeled 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Home advantage should contribute towards a significantly better evening for the Reds this time, and a floodlit Anfield fixture against a major rival generally provides the sort of booming atmosphere which rubs off on the LFC players on the pitch.
Guardiola’s side are in much finer fettle now than they were at the time of their visit to L4 last season, although dropped points against the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur of late have prevented them from getting within arm’s reach of leaders Arsenal.
As the final fixture of the Premier League weekend, both Liverpool and Man City will know how their positional rivals have fared by the time they kick off on Merseyside, and that could determine whether or not Crouch’s 2-2 prediction would be deemed a good result for either.
At this moment it would appear to be a decent point for the Reds, given how their season has gone, but by 4:30pm on Sunday the need for victory could be imperative.
Having already beaten the Gunners, Real Madrid and Inter Milan this term, Slot’s side have shown they can get the better of any opponent when they’re at their best. They know three points won’t be easy to come by against City, but they have it within their capabilities to avenge their Etihad defeat from three months ago.
You can watch Slot’s full pre-Manchester City press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: