Liverpool take on Manchester City at Anfield in a crucial Champions League quarter-final first leg.
City are flying high in the league but were famously brought tumbling down to earth in Merseyside after manager Jurgen Klopp masterminded a famous 4-3 victory.
Klopp’s men can pull off another important victory on Wednesday night under lights – and the stats tell us that they will.
Despite a string of injury concerns leading up to the clash, the majority of the first team has emerged from international and Premier League duty unscathed.
Must Read: Player ratings: Crystal Palace v Liverpool
So while Joe Gomez, Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip are out, neither are an earth-shattering miss. If any of the front three had picked up injuries, we’d all be weeping. But those three? The squad can cope with that.
The first eyebrow raising thing to learn is that Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 17 home games against City. 17! That’s actually ridiculous considering their financial clout and relative success in recent years.
Related Story: 5 reasons Liverpool will beat Man City in the Champions League this week
Klopp’s side are also going very well in the Champions League and at the last count were unbeaten in their last 12 games in the competition. Despite some early group-stage wobbles, most notably against Sevilla, the boys have come good and responded perfectly against Porto.
There is no doubt that Citizens’ boss Pep Guardiola has got his side purring like a beast. They have a frightening forward line that includes the born-again Raheem Sterling and the ever-dangerous Sergio Aguero.
But, don’t let that draw out a line of long faces just yet as Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six Champions League games. What was once a weakness is slowly being turned around under Klopp as players improve and buy in to his systems.
Next: This is the back four we want to see against Manchester City in the Champions League
There is no doubt that this clash will be a massive test of this team and the manager. City are a strong outfit, but they are not bullet proof. Klopp and Liverpool have shown that already this season and they can show it again.
Thanks to WhoScored.com for the information.