Liverpool take on Manchester City in the Premier League in their first game after Philippe Coutinho was sold to Barcelona.
City are running away with the league, but the Reds have been in superb form and are in with a shout of victory.
Jurgen Klopp’s team are undefeated in their last 13 games at Anfield, while Pep Guardiola’s outfit have won 20 of their last 19 games.
Electric attacker Mohamed Salah should be available for the Sunday clash after missing the FA Cup derby against Everton with through injury.
After the Christmas rush, the fixture congestion is beginning to ease and Liverpool have a break of eight days after the City game and will take on Swansea City on the 22nd of January.
The Citizens have less time off and host Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United on the 20th, which gives them six days to freshen up.
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LIVERPOOL TV INFORMATION
- Who? Manchester City
- Where? Anfield
- Kickoff time: 4pm GMT
- TV channel: Sky Sports (UK), NBCSN, Sling Blue, DIRECTV NOW and fubo Premier (USA)
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LIVERPOOL FC NOTES
The Reds have now won four of their last five games, only drawing once to Arsenal in a thrilling 3-3 encounter. That stretch of results also includes a 4-0 demolition of Bournemouth and three gritty, hard-fought 2-1 wins.
With star player Coutinho completing his transfer to Barca, Klopp will need to find a way to galvanise the team. The good news is that 17-goal Salah is set to play, while Roberto Firmino is still in excellent form.
New defender Virgil van Dijk could make his Premier League debut after slamming home a header to win the game for the Reds against the Toffies. Fans will certainly be excited to see him play!
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KEY MATCH STATISTICS
- Expect an action packed 90 minutes as there has been over two and a half goals in Liverpool’s last five games.
- City have hit the back of the net 64 times this campaign already so the Reds will have a tough time keeping a clean sheet.
- The Citizens have had the lead at half time and full time in five out of their last six league games.
- Liverpool have won three of the last six games between the two sides, with one draw and two losses making up the results.
CONCLUSION
Everyone is expecting a tough game for the Reds, who will be lacking a bit of guile and cutting edge after Coutinho’s departure.
This fixture will be an important acid test to see how far they have come under Klopp, especially at the back, which has looked poor in parts this season.
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Van Dijk should make a big impact, and Liverpool supporters will be asking him to face one of the best attacks in the league and come away from it with his reputation enhanced.