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Manchester City players believe Anfield’s quietness before game was a facade
Visiting players knew it was the calm before the storm
Manchester City will host Liverpool on Saturday hoping to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. Back in October, Liverpool beat City 1-0 at Anfield. Although Liverpool have failed to perform away from home during this season, they have won nine out of their 13 home games. City’s players assume that the home team’s advantage had disguised itself in the form of silence.
Arsenal are set to kick off less than an hour after the full-time whistle in Manchester
Three points at the Etihad Stadium within this weekend’s game against Liverpool would bring Manchester City within five points of the Gunners.
City players felt the true spirit of Anfield only once the game had started
In the October game, City’s new recruit, Manuel Akanji, almost fell for Anfield’s façade of silence: “It’s funny that you ask because before the game, when we walked into the stadium for our warm-up, it was so quiet,” Akanji said. At first, he felt that there was no one that was booing or making noise against Manchester City during the game. It was apparently so silent that even Mahrez and Haaland felt the same.
Liverpool have won 9 out of their 13 home games
Liverpool have won nine out of their 13 home games in their season so far. However, the Reds have won only three times in the league away from home, and only once since the turn of the year.
Liverpool have received a triple boost ahead of their game against City
Liverpool have been in desperate need of a boost as they continue their quest for a Champions League spot. But Klopp has been given a mandatory triple boost with Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Kostas Tsimikas all fit to play in training this week. Diaz has been out since October 9 after being forced off early against Arsenal.
Liverpool still have a chance to seal a top-four finish
Liverpool sits in sixth place, seven points behind fourth-place Tottenham, albeit with two games in hand. This means that Liverpool still has a chance to seal a top-four finish despite sitting outside the Champions League spots for the entire season. Newcastle sits in fifth place, having played two games fewer than Tottenham. Newcastle will host Manchester United this Sunday, leaving the Tottenham team to travel to Everton on Monday night.
Credit: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool-fans-man-city-premierleague-29595298
