It may not be a historical derby, but Manchester City vs Liverpool has become this era’s top Premier League rivalry ahead of two big tilts in the next two weeks (Watch Man City vs Liverpool at 11:30am Sunday on USA Network and online via NBCSports.com).
City and Liverpool will meet in a virtual PL title decider on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium before tangling one week later in an FA Cup semifinal in the same venue.
[ MORE: The Run-in — Man City, Liverpool in focus ]
Those matches, as well as each side’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinals over the next two weeks, will go a long way toward determining whether Liverpool is going for a quadruple or will have a single piece of silverware from this season. Man City could be alive for a treble… or nothing at all (City still has a fixture advantage in the FA, opponent-wise, but you get the idea).
Liverpool’s dominated the series historically even though City will point to recent seasons as a more appropriate comparison.
Liverpool has won 20-of-49 Premier League meetings, drawing 18 times as part of an 88W-50D-48L record across all competititions.
And City has still struggled at Anfield with just one win since 2003, while Liverpool boasts five wins at the Etihad Stadium during the same span.
League: Liverpool, 80W-44D-45L
Premier League era: Liverpool, 20W-18D-11L
All competitions: Liverpool 88W-50D-48L
Now we’re not going to say the “Liverpool vs Man City rivalry” Wikipedia didn’t exist before Pep Guardiola was hired at City, but it definitely was a less-clicked page.
City and Liverpool have met 14 times since Guardiola was hired at City, joining Klopp for what’s become the most-circled match on the Premier League docket.
There’s been a Champions League quarterfinal and Community Shield amongst their meetings, but 11 are in the Premier League. And that competition has, relatively-speaking, tilted City.
Liverpool, of course, sent City out of the 2017-18 Champions League 5-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinal stage. Man City beat Liverpool in pens for the 2019-20 Community Shield.
Manchester City vs Liverpool, league: 4W-4D-3L
Manchester City vs Liverpool, other: 1W-2L
Manchester City vs Liverpool, all comps: 5W-4D-5L
Dec. 31, 2016 — Liverpool 1-0 Man City (PL)
March 19, 2017 — Man City 1-1 Liverpool (PL)
Sept. 9, 2017 — Man City 5-0 Liverpool (PL)
Jan. 14, 2018 — Liverpool 4-3 Man City (PL)
April 4, 2018 — Liverpool 3-0 Man City (UCL)
April 10, 2018 — Man City 1-2 Liverpool (UCL)
Oct. 7, 2018 — Liverpool 0-0 Man City (PL)
Jan. 3, 2019 — Man City 2-1 Liverpool (PL)
Aug. 4, 2019 — Liverpool 1-1 (4-5 pens) Man City (Community Shield)
Nov. 10, 2019 — Liverpool 3-1 Man City (PL) — 3 things
July 2, 2020 — Man City 4-0 Liverpool (PL) — 3 things | Player ratings out of 10
Nov. 8, 2020 — Man City 1-1 Liverpool (PL) — 3 things | Pep, Klopp reaction
Feb. 7, 2020 — Liverpool 1-4 Liverpool (PL) — 3 things | Player ratings | Klopp, Henderson react
Oct. 3, 2021 — Liverpool 2-2 Man City (PL) — 3 Things | Player ratings | Pep, Klopp reaction
Now what if we tossed in that “other” rivalry these two footballing wizards lorded over: Der Klassiker in the Bundesliga.
Pep took the helm of Bayern Munich and immediately was thrust into one of the most intense derbies in the world: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp’s BVB won 4-2 and the neither man won consecutive derbies until Bayern clipped Dortmund for a 2014-15 league sweep. Dortmund would get revenge in Klopp’s last Der Klassiker, a 3-1 German Cup semifinal win.
Guardiola vs Klopp, Bayern vs BVB: 4W-4L
Guardiola vs Klopp, City vs Liverpool: 5W-4D-5L
Guardiola vs Klopp, all-time: 9W-4D-9L
It was business as usual for Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, as Manchester City returned from the 2022 World Cup break with a thrilling 3-2 victory over holders Liverpool in the League Cup round of 16 at Etihad Stadium on Thursday.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Manchester City will resume their title defense when the PL returns on Wednesday, Dec. 28, when Jesse Marsch and Leeds host the defending Premier League champions at Elland Road (WATCH LIVE). Liverpool will be in action again on Boxing Day (Monday, Dec. 26), away to Aston Villa (WATCH LIVE).
De Bruyne picked out Haaland with a cross toward the penalty spot just as Haaland got wrong side of Joe Gomez and beat him to the ball. The finish was hardly easy, with Haaland arriving at a high rate of speed and pinpoint precision required to touch it home. He made it look easy.
RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF!!
Erling Haaland puts City in front ⚡ pic.twitter.com/PdMmP6JTCC
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 22, 2022
Fabio Carvalho turned home a cross from James Milner to level the score in the 20th minute, and it would stay 1-1 until halftime. Two minutes into the second half, Riyad Mahrez brought the ball down from the sky and whipped a left-footed curler inside the far post with two silky smooth touches in the blink of an eye. 2-1 to Manchester City, but not for long.
Mahrez gives City the lead!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EftwaFs0PZ
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) December 22, 2022
Mohamed Salah made it 2-2 just a minute later after Darwin Nunez got in behind Rico Lewis down the left side. Nunez found Salah near the penalty spot after he peeled away from Nathan Ake, sending a slow roller over the line for another instant response.
De Bruyne wasn’t done, though, his best work still to come on assist no. 2. After taking the short corner quickly, De Bruyne floated a brilliant cross to the back post where Ake was arriving after making the late run into the box.
De Bruyne puts it on a plate for Nathan Ake 🎯 pic.twitter.com/4yYZOAAEXQ
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 22, 2022
Kick off: 3pm ET, Thursday (December 22)
Live updates from NBCSports.com
Online: Stream via ESPN+
Carvalho brings Liverpool level 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9Ax6m8K6ui
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) December 22, 2022
THIS GAME!!!
Salah scores just after Mahrez to make it 2-2 😱 pic.twitter.com/7WnrwJ6aS1
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 22, 2022
All eyes will be on Erling Haaland as he has had six weeks to rest up and he will no doubt be hungry to add to his incredible tally of 23 goals in 18 games for Man City so far this season. With Julian Alvarez still celebrating Argentina’s World Cup victory in his homeland, there is even more pressure on Haaland to deliver the goods. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to worry about anything.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has given plenty of minutes to his youngsters over the midseason friendlies, but the likes of Mohamed Salah, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson and Roberto Firmino have been around the whole time so they should all be feeling fresh. Both Man City and Liverpool have commented positively about their World Cup players coming back fresh and sharp after featuring in big World Cup games just a week or so ago.
Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan will feature after their early exits at the World Cup. While the likes of Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and John Stones have all returned to training the day before this game against Liverpool. Ederson will return back from Brazil soon, so Stefan Ortega will start in goal.
🔵 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🔵
XI | Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Laporte, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Mahrez, Haaland, Palmer
SUBS | Carson, Walker, Stones, Cancelo, Grealish, Gomez, Bernardo, Foden, Robertson#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/fbU1Uc5FLu
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 22, 2022
Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo remain out with injuries, while Curtis Jones is almost fit and should feature over the festive period. All of Liverpool’s England and Brazil contingent are back in training and available.
Team news is in! 📋🔴
Here’s how we line up to take on Manchester City tonight 👊 #MCILIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 22, 2022
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If picking results in this wild Premier League season has been difficult — it has — then selecting the winner (or draw) coming off a month where some players played in the biggest matches of their lives while others had friendlies at best?
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Good luck.
So while Jose Mourinho might best be fit to answer how we feel about our Premier League predictions so far this week (“I prefer not to speak”), this might be a week to realize your picks could be wildly off depending on who comes out of the gates fresh, firing, and/or faded.
Or maybe there’s a real chance for upsets this weekend. Either way, lets dig into our picks.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Considering that winning requires getting the correct result (win, loss, or draw), getting a ‘W’ in picks isn’t all that easy.
Andy creeps up on Joe and Nick by a win after all three men fall victim to a weird week (over a month ago).
STANDINGS
Wk16
JPW 3-7
Andy 4-6
Nick 3-7
Season
Joe Prince-Wright, 72-74
Nick Mendola, 72-74
Andy Edwards, 64-82
Full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet – PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
You can download the NBC Sports Predictor app (below) and play the Premier League Pick ‘Em game yourself to predict the scores and win the prizes.
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Odds: Brentford (+300) vs Tottenham (-115) | Draw (+260)
Kickoff: 7:30am ET Monday
TV/Stream: USA Network – STREAM LIVE
JPW: Brentford 1-2 Spurs
Andy: Brentford 2-1 Spurs
Nick: Brentford 1-1 Spurs
Odds: Crystal Palace (+105) vs Fulham (+250) | Draw (+250)
Kickoff: 10am ET Monday
TV/Stream: Premier League on Peacock
JPW: Palace 1-1 Fulham
Andy: Palace 1-1 Fulham
Nick: Palace 1-1 Fulham
Odds: Everton (+130) vs Wolves (+220) | Draw (+220)
Kickoff: 10am ET Monday
TV/Stream: Premier League on Peacock
JPW: Everton 1-2 Wolves
Andy: Everton 1-2 Wolves
Nick: Everton 1-1 Wolves
Odds: Leicester City (+220) vs Newcastle (+120) | Draw (+250)
Kickoff: 10am ET Monday
TV/Stream: USA Network – STREAM LIVE
JPW: Leicester 1-3 Newcastle
Andy: Leicester 2-3 Newcastle
Nick: Leicester 0-1 Newcastle
Odds: Southampton (+250) vs Brighton (+110) | Draw (+250)
Kickoff: 10am ET Monday
TV/Stream: Premier League on Peacock
JPW: Saints 1-1 Brighton
Andy: Saints 2-2 Brighton
Nick: Saints 0-1 Brighton
Odds: Aston Villa (+350) vs Liverpool (-140) | Draw (+250)
Kickoff: 12:30pm ET Monday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
Andy: Aston Villa 2-3 Liverpool
Nick: Aston Villa 2-4 Liverpool
Odds: Arsenal (-200) vs West Ham (+550) | Draw (+330)
Kickoff: 3pm ET Monday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Arsenal 3-1 West Ham
Andy: Arsenal 2-1 West Ham
Nick: Arsenal 1-1 West Ham
Odds: Chelsea (-325) vs Bournemouth (+850) | Draw (+450)
Kickoff: 12:30pm ET Tuesday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth
Andy: Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth
Nick: Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth
Odds: Manchester United (-350) vs Nottingham Forest (+900) | Draw (+450)
Kickoff: 3pm ET Tuesday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: Man United 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Andy: Man United 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Nick: Man United 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Odds: Leeds (+800) vs Man City (-350) | Draw (+475)
Kickoff: 3pm ET Wednesday
TV/Stream: USA Network – STREAM LIVE
JPW: Leeds 1-2 Man City
Andy: Leeds 2-3 Man City
Nick: Leeds 1-4 Man City
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Follow @NicholasMendola
If it’s the 2022-23 Premier League table you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
We’re at the 2022 World Cup break, and the final few rounds of Premier League fixtures caused so many shocks.
Almost at the halfway mark of the 2022-23 season, Arsenal and Manchester City are looking head and shoulders above the rest.
The Gunners will have their hands full for the duration of their title challenge, as Erling Haaland continues to take the Premier League by storm with an almost impossible goal-scoring record.
Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United are locked in a battle for the top four, while Liverpool have improved and will be back in the Champions League scrap and Chelsea are struggling.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Newly promoted Nottingham Forest moved off the bottom of the table with a win before the break, with Wolves and Southampton currently occupying the other two relegation places.
Leicester have picked up a few big wins, while West Ham, Everton and Leeds all find themselves within a few points of the bottom-three after a topsy-turvy start.
Below you will find the latest Premier League table.
Follow @AndyEdMLS
When the Premier League returns from the 2022 World Cup break next week, Tottenham (29 points) will once again find themselves 4th in the table following their roller coaster of a first half. As for Brentford (19 points), somehow season no. 2 in the Premier League is going even better than their debut, as Thomas Frank’s side sits 10th after 15 games.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Brentford vs Tottenham.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Boxing Day will see Harry Kane make his first appearance since the England captain put a penalty kick — a potential late equalizer — over the crossbar, in a head-to-head battle with Spurs teammate and France captain Hugo Lloris, in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. With 261 goals, Kane is just six shy of breaking Jimmy Greaves’ all-time Tottenham record of 266.
The World Cup couldn’t have come at a worse time for Brentford, who knocked off two-time defending champions Manchester City in their final game before the break. Ivan Toney got both goals not so long after finding out he wouldn’t be int he England team for the World Cup, putting him two goals behind Kane (12) and eight behind Erling Haaland.
OUT: Charlie Goode (knee)
OUT: Rodrigo Bentancur (adductor), Richarlison (hamstring)
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