Hassan Chamas

What: English Premier League
Who: Liverpool (7th; 19 points) versus Manchester City (6th; 20 points)
When: Saturday 21st November, 2009, at 12:45 GMT
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, England


Goodbye Premier League?

Even the most ardent Liverpool supporters will have to admit that the Premier League title is far, far from Rafael Benitez’s reach at the moment. One win in their last total nine consecutive games has seen the Reds down in seventh spot, 11 points off leaders Chelsea, and their quest to halt Manchester United’s domestic trophy count seems like a lost cause.
 
Liverpool’s inspiring win over rivals Manchester United earlier this season quickly turned into nothing more than a mirage, as the team has failed to record a victory since. Whilst Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard’s absence left Rafael Benitez with a serious migraine in the attacking department. David N’Gog’s emergence might be seen as something of a consolation for the Benitez, but time and patience are not a luxury he can keep on relying on forever.


Care for a Draw?

Call it luck; call it whatever you want, but Manchester City can’t seem to get a win in the Premier League. In fact, Mark Hughes’s Citizens have consecutively recorded all of their draws over the last five matches. Perhaps the talk of Robinho heading to the Camp Nou has the team fearing the worst for one of their stars, but that does not mean that the side hasn’t come up against stubborn opponents such as Burnley and Birmingham. Against a bleeding Liverpool, the Mancunians will have to take their chance and try to add insult to injury for their opponents across the M62, and in the process, knock over another top four club after Arsenal.

Recent form

Liverpool:
Fulham 3-1 Liverpool (Premier League)
Lyon 1-1 Liverpool (Champions League)
Liverpool 2-2 Birmingham City (Premier League)

Manchester City:
Birmingham City 0-0 Manchester City (Premier League)
Manchester City 3-3 Burnley (Premier League)
United Arab Emirates 1-0 Manchester City (Friendly)


Key absentees

Liverpool: Fernando Torres; Fabio Aurelio; Yossi Benayoun (doubt)
Manchester City: Robinho (doubt)


Players to watch

Liverpool – Steven Gerrard: The Liverpool captain is expected to be fit enough to make a full return against City. In the Reds’ last match with Birmingham, Gerrard was one of a select band to emerge with any praise. The midfield dynamo can run the show and drive his beloved side forward.

Manchester City – Carlos Tevez: “Carlitos” will be eager to make use of the Merseysiders’ poor form in order to stretch his goalscoring record. His poor showing with Argentina a week earlier will have to be compensated for with a strong showing at Anfield.


Match prediction

Both teams enter the match with cuts and bruises. Liverpool are enduring their most horrific form in recent memory, while the Citizens have not yet fully convinced people with their summer spending. Neither have the momentum to claim all three points at this stage, so a 2-2 stalemate is the likely outcome.

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