Manchester City take on Liverpool on Sunday. Needless to say, a win for either side would be huge in shaping the remainder of their season.
Unlike most seasons of late, though, Man City are not really in title contention. Mathematically, Pep Guardiola’s side can still win the league, but they sit in 4th place of the table and are currently 17 points behind Liverpool in 1st.
Last time out, Man City lost 3-1 at Real Madrid in the Champions League knock out stages and so the Cityzens are fighting for 4th place in the Premier League, in order to guarantee themselves qualification into next season’s European tournament.
Liverpool remain in the Champions League where they next face PSG. But expect the Premier League to take slight precedence with the Reds having been the frontrunners to win the league throughout the campaign, in what is Arne Slot’s first season at the helm.
At the Etihad, last time out in the Premier League City beat Newcastle United 4-0. But Erling Haaland wasn’t on the scoresheet having come off early with a knee injury. Against Madrid, Haaland was an unused substitute.
Ahead of the visit of Liverpool to Manchester on Sunday, Premier League top scorer Mo Salah has given his verdict on Haaland. As things stand, Salah has 24 goals in the league this season compared to Haaland’s 19. Whether or not Haaland even starts on Sunday remains to be seen.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Salah has claimed that Haaland has a much easier job than himself given the fact that Haaland plays as a striker, whereas Salah still plays on the wing. Salah said: “No, I respect him a lot. We may have only spoken once after the last game. But he’s a striker, so his life is easier. I wish him all the best, of course.
“But his life is easy because he plays as a striker. As a winger, getting that kind of quota is pretty difficult. Any winger can tell you that. That’s why I see it differently between us, because he’s a striker and I’m a winger.”
Both strikers are certainly proving prolific this season, as they often have been throughout their careers. But Salah seems to be enjoying a slightly better season, much like Liverpool are enjoying a more positive season than City.
Although Salah leads Haaland in the Premier League for goals, in all competitions this season there’s very little to split them. Both have 27 goals in all competitions but Salah boasts an impressive 19 assists compared to Haaland’s three.
On Sunday, form may go out the window for what promises to be an exiting game at the Etihad. A win for City will bring them level on points with Nottingham Forest in 3rd whilst a win for Liverpool could take them 11 points clear of Arsenal.
