Manchester City to take on Liverpool in EFL Cup Round of 16
FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 finally concluded, and it’s time to get back to club football. Two European Elites, Manchester City and Liverpool, will take on each other in the EFL Cup Round of 16 when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City hosts Jurgen Klopp’s reds at the Etihad Stadium today.
Talking about the reds first, they started the season in the worst way possible. They had to let go of their star man Sadio Mane in the summer window to Bayern; Roberto Firmino was out of form, and many players, especially midfielders, were injured.
They had to sign one on loan from Juventus on the last day of the window. They suffered heavy defeats against mid-table sides, but things started going in their way gradually, and now Klopp’s side sits sixth at the table with 22 points in 14 games, winning six, drawing four, and losing four.
If we look at their performance in EFL Cup, they beat Derby County on penalties 3-2 in the third round and now face Manchester City in the Round of 16.
However, Jurgen Klopp still has a few injury concerns ahead of this game, with Arthur Melo out due to a Thigh Injury, Jones unavailable for Muscle Injury, Jota out due to a calf injury, and Luis Diaz won’t be able to feature due to knee injury.
This is their first game after a long break, and Klopp would like to turn things around by beating Manchester City, an opponent against which they’re unbeaten in the last five games (W3D2). Moreover, a win tonight will brighten their chances to win at least one trophy this season, as their chances of winning the premier league are meagre because of how things stand.
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is again producing good results like in previous years. However, they aren’t at the top of the table this year, and their competitor isn’t Liverpool but Arsenal this time, who are five points ahead of Guardiola’s side by playing an equal number of matches.
Manchester City currently sits second at the table with 32 points in 14 games, winning ten, drawing two, and losing two.
They beat Chelsea 2-0 in the third round of the EFL Cup on November 10, when Riyad Mahrez scored the first goal of the game in the 53rd minute, then Julian Alvarez scored the second and final goal of the game in just five minutes later and qualified to the Round of 16 where they’ll take on Liverpool today.
An opponent against which they’re winless in previous five meetings against tonight’s opponent, losing three, drawing two and will be looking forward to end this unfortunate streak in their favourite tournament which they’ve won four in a row in last four years.
Pep Guardiola will have the services available to the whole squad except Julian Alvarez, who is celebrating in his country after winning World Cup three days ago and will join the club after few days.
