Liverpool VS Manchester City Predictions: Can This Derby Decide the Title Race?
Such a selection of historically famous and successful clubs is not present in any of the other big leagues, not even in many other sports. For these reasons and many others, like the fact that England is the birthplace of football, the title race usually tends to go down to the last match day. This time around, however, things are not going to go that way because the top two teams everyone expected to battle each other throughout the entire season are far apart in form and the standings. And to make matters worse for one and better for the other one, they are meeting this weekend.
On Sunday, November 1, Liverpool is hosting Manchester City. It is one of the biggest games in not just English, but European football. It is the clash between recent champions, City being the defending Champion, as well as two recent UEFA Champions League Champions, Man City in 2023 and Liverpool in 2020. Two cities of football going at it, two symbolic colors in red and blue, it has all it takes to be a memorable game. To make things even better, it is the duel between the two top spots in the standings. And still, not everyone is equally as excited since the game cannot really go either way. Technically, it could, but realistically, one team is much better at the moment and the results show it.
In this article, we talk about this big game and try to predict whether or not it can be a title-deciding match. This early in December is not the usual time when the trophy of the Premiership is decided, but this has been a very interesting season. Read on to learn more as we talk odds, predictions, and upcoming fixtures, and take a special look at Sergio Aguero’s exclusive interview with Stake.com where the Man City legend shares his opinions about the season. Advice from the top scorer in the team’s history is worth a lot as they can help you greatly with your sports betting picks.
Recent Performances and Results
Liverpool has been on a real tear to open the season. In the League, they have 3 straight wins, as well as four in their last five games, bar the lone draw against Arsenal. They are keeping clean sheets, winning their EFL Cup and UCL games in the meantime, and just dominating left and right. They are not only first in the Premiership standings, but also in the newly revamped Champions League phase where they are the only team with all 5 wins. Arne Slot is doing wonders this season and proves to be a great replacement who can turn this team around and bring them back to glory. Salah is playing out of this world and has 10 goals in the first 12 games, good for second place in the league behind Haaland.
Manchester is the polar opposite of Liverpool this season. Injuries have done their fair share, but it is the current form and morale in the squad that are also low. Pep Guardiola seems to be losing his nerves on the sidelines, as evidenced by his recent antics. The team struggles to defend and protect the lead and no matter how much they score, wins are not happening for them. This is their worst stretch in years. Some players have never experienced it before, nor has Pep. It is his worst managerial stretch across all teams and leagues. Three straight losses in the league, including a 0-4 thrashing by Tottenham at the Etihad, preceded by a knockout from the EFL Cup in the Round of 16 and then followed by a blown 3-0 lead at home against Feyenoord in the Champions League. And it could get so much worse with a bad performance against Liverpool this weekend.
What was the Interview About?
Sergio Aguero was asked by Stake to comment on the ongoing season. He is the official global football ambassador of Stake and one of their main partners for the sport. In this interview, he touched upon his predictions and shared his forecasts for the season. When asked if the title race could be over if Liverpool beats City, he said that pundits are quick to predict such things and that he always says the same thing, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” At the moment, Liverpool is 8 points ahead of City, 31 to 23, but the legend says, “the current point advantage may be insignificant by the end of the season.” He then recalled a similar case from the 2011/12 season when City was 8 points behind United and still won the title in the end.
Aguero and the current coach of City, Pep Guardiola, have a good relationship, so Stake wanted to know what he thinks he would be like with the players in the dressing room right now. The struggle continues for the team so this was the right question to ask. Aguero shared that he was sure that the manager was emphasizing the importance of the team's style and identity. “There are very few people that can share that type of conviction like Pep does,” adding that, “motivating the team to follow the principles that allowed [them] to be the team [they are]” was prevalent.
Similarly, he commented on the injuries and whether or not it could be said that this 2024/25 season for City was cursed. They have a staggering amount of injuries in a short time, as well as some injured players from last season like the newest Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. “When it happens to such key players, it’s very impactful, like Rodri being off the field,” he said. He also talked about de Bruyne, saying, “Kevin has bounced back but he still needs to fully get back into rhythm.” Later, he said that “injuries happen” and that “Kevin has always roared back to top form.”
Speaking about his Premier League predictions for this season, Aguero also talked about the two other potential title contenders who have been neck and neck this season, two London heavyweights Chelsea and Arsenal. For the Gunnars, he said that they are “another great example of a rival that shouldn’t be discredited for their weaker results [ … ]” and that “they also had several injuries that are on the mend.” In his professional opinion, “Arsenal will be vying for the title just like they have done for the last few years.”
Arsenal cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Chelsea, especially not this season, so of course the Argentine star had to talk about the Blues, too. To the simple question of whether or not Chelsea could fight for the title, he simply asked back, “Why not? The new manager has made an impact, they are playing better than before.” And they certainly are with Cole “Cold” Palmer scoring more than ever and the whole team finding a new identity. “If they keep it up, we should see them as trophy contenders.” Aguero also touched upon Nicolas Jackson and his scoring, saying “He’s had a very good season and he’s getting more attention. The foundations are there, [ … ], consistency will be key.”
Stake also wanted to know if Aguer would want to have played with Mohamed Salah, saying he does not seem to age. In the ongoing campaign, in 12 matches, the Egyptian has scored 10 goals and is not looking to stop. His Liverpool is brilliant and he has a lot to do with it. The former City and Argentina striker simply stated, “What an amazing player.” adding that “Mo has been a major player for Liverpool, and still is.” It can be seen how much respect he has for his fellow star as he said he was “talented in many ways, a goalscorer that is always relevant.” Recalling their duels, Aguero reminisced, “We had several face-offs and that had an impact, playing against great players like him forces you to be more competitive and to be better.” Great recognition great indeed!
Current Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
As we go into the weekend and match day 13, Manchester City is behind Liverpool in the Premier League. The Reds have a firm grip on the lead with 10 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the first 12 games, good for 31 points. Their goal difference is +16, the best in the league, and they will be playing in front of tens of thousands of spectators at Anfield all wanting a beating of Man City on Sunday. After this big game, they have two much easier meetings, first at Newcastle on December 4 and then at Everton on December 7. Both should be walks in the park and a chance to capitalize on the City game win. With these three, and a win at home against Fulham on December 14, Liverpool could make it game over for City and other hopeful contenders.
After visiting Liverpool for this Sunday’s game, on December 4 and 7, they have easier matches that they have to win, first at home versus the great Nottingham Forest and then away in London versus Crystal Palace. Provided they beat Liverpool and then proceed to win these two games, December 15 could be when they make sure the title race is still wide open against their biggest rival, Manchester United. They will play at the Etihad so it is a must-win. Haaland is the league’s top-scorer right now with 12 goals in 12 matches, but it will take the rest of the team as well as the injured players to come back for the team to go on a winning streak.
Odds and Predictions
It makes sense that the sportsbooks and online betting platforms like Stake are favoring Liverpool to take the match. They are in great shape, scoring plenty of goals, and defending their net. They will be playing at home in front of the always-hungry crowd against the team that has been their greatest rival in the last 5 years. Liverpool is favored with 2.09 odds to the 3.45 odds that Manchester City has. The draw bet odds are 3.70 at the moment and is not very likely to happen. Both are great offensive threats that like to score so they will keep attacking.
As for the first goal, Liverpool is at 1.75 and City is at 2.28. If you want a bet where no team scores, it is a lucrative one at 20.00 but it is not likely to happen. Rarely does a match with so much riding on it and so many storylines end up scoreless. With goal ranges, the 0-1 is 5.00, the most likely to happen 2-3 is 2.11, the 4-5 is 3.05, and the 6+ is 8.20.
Fan-favorite bets always include goalscorers, especially the 1st goalscorer bet. Of course, it is Erling Haaland leading the way, but not by a big margin. His odds to find the net first are set at 5.20 with Mo Salah close behind with 5.40. Darwin Nunez is at 6.60, Luis Diaz is at 7.00, and Cody Gakpo is at 7.60.
If you enjoy placing season-long outright bets at this time, here are some bets for that. The leading favorite to take the trophy of the champion of England is of course Liverpool right now with 1.81. Arsenal is second at the moment, a surprise for many for sure, with 4.25. City is third with 4.50 and Chelsea, the third-best team so far in the season, has 21.00. This is an amazing chance to risk it a bit and hope that the Blues can take it in the end. It would be a great payday. Haaland leads the top goalscorer outright bet with 1.34, Salah is second with 5.50, and Cole Palmer is third with 15.00.