Liverpool vs. Man City: Winning at Anfield may not be enough to revive Premier League hopes for Pep Guardiola

The big game of the weekend in the Premier League sees the top two facing off at Anfield with Liverpool visited by Manchester City. Few would have bet on the defending champions being so far adrift of the current EPL leaders, but that is the situation coming into the weekend. Pep Guardiola badly needs to stem the tide so that City can stabilize themselves while Arne Slot will want to see his Reds go for the jugular and potentially land an already fatal blow as December starts. After the traumatic midweek collapse at Etihad Stadium against Feyenoord, can beleaguered Guardiola’s week get any worse?

Do not bet against it.

Pep under pressure

There are no two ways about it — Guardiola is under pressure after this poor run of City form. Not necessarily pressure in that he might lose his job, as he only just extended his contract with the Premier League titleholders by another year with an option for a second. However, the sort of pressure that he has rarely — if ever — faced during his career. This is already arguably the ugliest run of form that the Catalan tactician has ever witnessed from one of his sides and his distressed midweek appearance reflects that he is in uncharted territory despite his immense experience. City have already lost three times in the EPL and are eight points adrift of Liverpool, but the recent 4-0 thrashing at home to Tottenham Hotspur and the 3-3 UEFA Champions League collapse against Feyenoord — from three goals up — illustrates just how bad things are right now.

Seamless Slot

What Guardiola would give for the seemingly easy transition into life at Anfield that Slot has been enjoying so far. The Reds have opened up an eight-point gap having won 10 games and losing just once, so even a loss would still keep the gap at five points between the two. Win, though, and Liverpool could be 11 points clear and even at this stage of the campaign it is an extremely commanding lead and one which could potentially be unassailable. Even in the UCL, they have a two-point lead over the chasing pack in the league phase, to underline their status as European soccer’s form team. How long they can keep that going is another question, but Slot has his group performing on a par with some of Jurgen Klopp’s best results.

Anfield advantage

There is also the undoubted edge that playing in front of home support will give the Merseysiders with the midweek win over Real Madrid another example of their big game pedigree. Liverpool’s one loss so far this term might have come at home against Nottingham Forest but that looks increasingly like an anomaly. Real, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea have all been beaten at Anfield across all competitions so far this year. Do not bet against them adding City to that hitlist as they seek to safeguard themselves ahead of what can be a tricky December run for even the most stocked of squads.

City collapse

In the event that Slot’s side inflicts another defeat on Guardiola’s troops, it would create an 11-point chasm between the two which would appear to be decisive. Liverpool do not look likely to drop many — if any — points anytime soon across neither the Premier League nor the Champions League. Even if the Reds did suffer a drop in form, could it really be worse than City’s? Also, how much longer will this current low period last? Based on the evidence of their last two results, Guardiola’s men are not yet out of the woods in terms of putting the worst behind them and moving forward.

How to watch

• Date: Sunday, December 1 | Time: 11 a.m. ET
• Location: Anfield – Liverpool, England
• Watch: USA Network and Telemundo

Don’t miss CBS Sports Golazo Network’s Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long.