The holiday fixtures are already tough enough as it is for the teams in the Premier League. The last thing that any of them want to have to do is play one of these massive six-point swingers either at the very top or the very bottom of the table. Alas, Manchester City and Liverpool don't have that luxury of avoiding said matches. They've drawn each other on New Year's Eve, and though we're a long way from being finished this year, if there's a loser of this one, it's going to be a long climb back into legitimate championship contention.
At 12:30 p.m. ET, tune into NBC for live television coverage of this English Premier League match on Saturday, December 31, 2016, at Anfield.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool +130
Manchester City +215
Draw +245
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The total in this match is quite high. The number to beat has stayed at 2.5 on the odds at BookMaker.eu, but the vig is all the way up to -164. For all intents and purposes, the over/under may as well sit at a flat 3.
As far as the spread is concerned, it's hard to be overly surprised. The Reds are favored at home, but only by a margin of +130.
Key Injuries
John Stones was taken off for City against Hull City on Boxing Day, and his knee injury is very likely going to keep him sidelined through the rest of the holiday fixtures. He joins three other key cogs in Fabian Delph, Ilkay Gundogan and Vincent Kompany on the touchline for this one, as the latter three are nowhere near returning from long-term injuries.
Liverpool is still feeling the Philippe Coutinho ankle injury. He's been out since just after Thanksgiving and won't be back for another couple weeks yet, and these are crucial fixtures that the Reds are just trying to gut through. Joseph Gomez, Marko Grujic, Danny Ings, Joel Matip and Seyi Ojo are all out as well, though none of these injuries are anything new.
Recent Form
It was a rough go for Liverpool at the beginning without Coutinho. The team was beaten by Bournemouth for the first time in club history, and that was followed by a 2-2 draw against West Ham at home. But since that point, the Reds have been sparkling, outscoring Middlesbrough, Everton and Stoke City by the combined score of 8-1 in a nine-point swing to get back within six points of Chelsea.
City has gotten back its form as well. With the suspensions to Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero finally over with, the team thrashed Hull City 3-0 on the road on Boxing Day, and that came on the heels of that big 2-1 win over Arsenal just before the mini-break for Christmas. The Citizens have also run out three wins in a row to edge closer to the Blues, but they remain seven adrift and eight goals in the differential column as well.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
By all accounts, this match really should be a pick 'em. The common thought is that Liverpool is running too hot right now to be stopped, especially with that sparkling 6-2-0 form at home.
But let's not forget that there are only two teams in the Premier League that have seven wins on the road this year, and Manchester City is one of them ( Chelsea being the other ). Pep Guardiola has really started to get his team in the form which he wants, and having back his players in good form after the Chelsea debacle early in December is going to make a big difference. We're going to go against the grain here and call for the upset at Anfield, and if this is how this plays out, Chelsea could be in for a heck of a fight as we head into 2017.
English Premier League Odds: Manchester City 3, Liverpool 1
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