Man City vs Liverpool Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets for Etihad encounter

Premier League leaders Manchester City host Liverpool in the Premier League in Saturday’s early kick-off at the Etihad Stadium.

Tipster Wizard has previewed the game and pieced together his best two bets.

Pep Guardiola’s men sit top of the pile with 28 points after 12 games, just one point above their opponents Liverpool, so a blockbuster clash awaits us straight after the international break.

After five wins in a row in all competitions, Man City were involved in a thrilling 4-4 draw against Chelsea, where a 95th minute Cole Palmer penalty prevented the Citizens from picking up all three points.

As for Liverpool, they sit second in the league table with 27 points after 12 games, and have lost just once in the league all season.

However, their away form is still a cause for concern as they have only won twice in their six away trips so far this term, including a disappointing 1-1 draw against lowly Luton Town.

Games between these two sides have produced a lot of goals in recent seasons, with at least four goals being scored in seven of their last eight meetings in all competitions.

City came out 4-1 winners in this fixture last season and have won all five league home games so far in 2023/24, so will go into this game as the favourites while Liverpool will be aiming for their first away win at the Etihad since their 2-1 victory back in 2015.

An enthralling top of the table clash is on the cards and I have included my two best bets in the preview below:

Team News:

• Man City: John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic & Sergio Gomez are out for Manchester City while Ederson, Nathan Ake & Matheus Nunes are doubtful.
• Liverpool: Thiago Alcantara, Andy Robertson & Stefan Bajcetic are out for Liverpool Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez & Ibrahima Konate are doubtful.

Bet Builder Selections

• Dominic Szoboszlai - Over 0.5 shots
• Rodri - Over 0.5 fouls committed

Dominik Szoboszlai is playing in a slightly advanced midfield role for Liverpool this season.

He has had at least one shot in 12/12 league games so far (100%) and is averaging two shots per game for Liverpool.

He has also been in sensational form for his country Hungary over the International break last week, scoring two goals and amassing 13 shots over just two Euros qualifiers, and he will be brimming with confidence going into this game against City.

As for Rodri, he averages the most fouls per game (1.5) for Manchester City and has committed at least one foul in 12 of his 15 games in all competitions for the club.

He has committed at least two fouls against Liverpool in his last four consecutive appearances and has also been booked in four of his last seven appearances in all competitions for club and country. Thus, banking on him to commit just one foul here makes good sense.

Combining these two selections gives us a solid Bet Builder at 4/5 and I am happy to stake 1 point on that as our main bet for this game.

Erling Haaland has been in sensational goal scoring form for Manchester City this season, having scored 13 league goals in just 12 appearances and nine goals in his last six appearances in all competitions.

He found the back of the net when he came up against Liverpool in the League Cup last season and he will get plenty of opportunities to score against a Liverpool defence that has not kept a single clean sheet in their 12 away games in all competitions in 2023/24.

As for Alexis Mac Allister, he averages the most tackles per game (2.5), as well as fouls (1.9), for Liverpool in the Premier League this season.

He is also their most booked player having picked up five yellow cards and a red card, and I can see him mistiming a tackle against a City side that love keeping the ball and have been fouled 11.2 times per game this season.

Combining these two picks gives us a cracking longshot double and we will take that as our second bet for this massive top-of-the-table clash.

Check out the Man City vs Liverpool odds below.