Manchester City vs Liverpool: Preview, Odds and Betting Tips - 01/04/2023

Will Liverpool ruin title hopes?

Over the years, Manchester City vs Liverpool has come to be likened to El Clasico (Real Madrid vs Barcelona), Le Classique (Paris Saint-Germain vs Olympique de Marseille) and Der Klassiker (Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund).

For a fixture in European football to get the "Classic" tag, it means the teams involved have been the most successful in their leagues for a period. This is how the tie between Manchester City, a club whose successes truly began in 2008 and Liverpool, who were in oblivion until Jurgen Norbert Klopp took their reins in 2015, became the English version of a Classic match.

The 2022/23 season is no different. Both clubs have fallen from their perches in England and in Europe, Manchester City are the only team still standing. The excitement for the tactical battle between Pep Guardiola and Klopp is always palpable.

City are going to come into this match to play for a chance to usurp Arsenal at the top of the table. Liverpool, on the other hand, will be more desperate because they are on the verge of missing out on the UEFA Champions League for the first time in seven successive seasons.

Both teams, however, are on different pedestals at the moment and there is a lot of speculation as to whether the outcome will be similar to their last two clashes which saw both teams seal a narrow win against the other.

A look at their form guide could provide some much needed insight and betting tips for your stake on the match.

Form Guide: Manchester City

Since losing to Liverpool in the Premier League back in October, City have been unable to claim the Premier League top spot for more than a weekend and are currently five points away from losing their title.

They have, however, maintained impeccable form in front of goal no thanks to goal machine Erling Haaland, whose 28 goals in 26 appearances so far this season is unheard of in the history of the Premier League.

His official debut came against their April 1st opponents and he has played them two more times since then.

He is yet to get off the mark against them, but with supporting cast like Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and the host of brilliant talent in the side, Guardiola will not be too worried about his side's chances in front of goal.

What he will be truly worried about, is their current struggle to create clear-cut goal-scoring chances in the Premier League, which has seen them suffer in their last three league games.

They have won those games, but Guardiola will be worried about their struggles, especially against his arch nemesis of the last few seasons.

Form Guide: Liverpool 

Liverpool have been one of the surprises of the season so far thanks to their uninspired football over the last few months.

Klopp's special circumstances which always sees him struggle in the seventh year of his management of a football club have reared their ugly head again and have seen the Reds suffer as a result.

While none of the incidents have been particularly his fault, it has shown that the German tactician can be blindsided and can make costly mistakes too.

Having been knocked out of every cup competition this season, the team can now focus on the Premier League where they are slowly building momentum in their race for the top four and UEFA Champions League football next season.

A famous win against Guardiola will do their chances a world of good and get some gas in their tank to keep them going until May.

What to expect from the match

Despite the sometimes dire football from Liverpool this season, they have claimed two famous wins over Manchester City.

They will be going into that tie with the same mentality that has made this match the English Classic over the years.

This means it will be a tight game that either side have the opportunity to win and it will be down to costly mistakes instead of tactical superiority of either manager.

Both sides will not enjoy many chances at goal, but they will take the ones they get and the game will end with a narrow scoreline.

Betting predictions

A Manchester City win

Manchester City are on a roll in the Premier League and in the cup competitions in between. Their last game was a 6 - 0 demolition of Burnley in the FA Cup.

The international break could do more harm than good for their team unity but it is unlikely that they will have forgotten the Euphoria of scoring 13 goals in two games before they face Liverpool.

William Hill is offering 1.55 odds for this to happen.

Both teams to score

Dating all the way back to 2019, both sides have scored in eight out of their last 10 meetings against each other across all competitions. It is usually an end-to-end affair between these two sides and we are expecting no different at the Etihad.

William Hill have odds of 1.70 for this to happen. 

It is now usually a matter of how many than if the Norwegian goal-machine will grab a goal. With 28 goals already, he is on course to shatter several records and hit 40 Premier League goals before the end of the season. He is also on top-form now with two hatricks in his last two games for City. What are the odds that he won’t make it a hatrick of hatricks against Liverpool?

All odds are via William Hill and all info valid as at the time of writing.

Odds could differ now.