Liverpool vs. Manchester City: Is this the title decider? Plus the Expectations and XIs combined

Follow live coverage of the Liverpool and Manchester City match in the English Premier League today

There may be more than two months remaining in the 2023-24 Premier League, but this afternoon's encounter between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield looks like a crucial day.

In the red corner: Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, who entered the weekend top of the table, with 14 wins from their last 16 matches in all competitions, are bidding for a historic quadruple and fueled by feelings of the summer coach's imminent departure. In the blue corner: City, led by Pep Guardiola, one point behind its host at the start of the match, won the treble last season and aims to obtain part of its history through a fourth consecutive title.

The meetings between the two are never less than intense and of a high level, but how do we see this meeting taking shape?

We have compiled a panel of Athlete Experts to answer all the important questions – and some of the less important ones.

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Is this the game that sets the title?

Oliver Kay: No, you are aware that Arsenal are in the title race, right? City are most people's favorites and the odds will certainly change one way or another after today, but I don't think they or Liverpool are as strong as they were in 2018-19, when they didn't drop a point in the last round. I expect more twists and turns.

Daniel Taylor: not exactly. It's March 10, two months to go, and 30 more points to play for. However, it will be a curtain call if City win at Anfield and then crush Arsenal at the end of the month.

Sarah Shepherd: I don't think so, given Arsenal's position. They visit the Etihad Stadium on March 31, and although their recent record there is abysmal (they haven't picked up a single point since a draw in May 2016), it seems short-sighted to rule them out of the race at this stage given their recent league run. Form. If City beat Liverpool this weekend, it could be the Arsenal game that decides the matter.

Karl Anka: somewhat. City have won just once at Anfield in the Premier League in two decades, yet you can see they have found multiple routes to success. Liverpool hopes that the home team's fans will be a motivating force at a time when injuries have exhausted playing options. But that's before you consider that Arsenal are still around. But all three teams know that danger comes if (and when) City reach the top. They are difficult to deal with when they are at the front of the group.

Nick Miller: No, because Arsenal are there too, but even if Liverpool win today and put four points between them and City, City are more than capable of making up for it.

What field battle are you most looking forward to?

Kay: Virgil van Dijk vs Erling Haaland – two giants of the game who, in different ways, are able to bully opponents. Van Dijk's performance against Haaland at Anfield last season was brilliant at a time when he was playing poorly. He has been excellent this season, but he may have to step up his game even further today.

Taylor: Phil Foden is the man of the moment, so it will be interesting to see if Andy Robertson is able to play as adventurously as usual, and thus stop him. Obviously, Van Dijk vs. Haaland is a big match. But I always think Mohamed Salah loves these occasions too. Will Klopp risk starting him? I'm sure that was the goal, and if so, it would be a key game against either Nathan Ake or Josko Gvardiol on the left of City's defence.

Shepherd: Jeremy Doku gave Trent Alexander-Arnold a tough time at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season, but with the winger an injury doubt for this game, I'd pick Van Dijk against Haaland. The Dutch defender has been in good form so far this season, while Haaland (who scored City's goal in the 1-1 draw between these two teams in the reverse fixture in November) has been on the scoresheet in City's last three matches. Battle of the Giants.

Anka: The duo of Rodri and John Stones vs. Alexis McAllister and Wataru Endo. The attacking runs from City's duo have become a strong aspect of their attacking game. Endo has taken his team to another level since settling in, freeing up McAllister to influence matters in the final third. Klopp will likely have Bernardo Silva's name circled on the whiteboard at his home too.

Miller: Foden vs. who plays in Liverpool's midfield. Foden is in such great form at the moment that you almost forget Kevin De Bruyne is there too, so one of Liverpool's biggest problems is how to stop the duo. There's a lot though: Doku vs. Connor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai (assuming he plays) attacking Rodri, Haaland vs. Van Dijk… Oh my god, this is going to be good.

Which team, at its best, is the most watched?

Kay: I'll go against it and say I'd rather watch 2017-19 City or 2018-20 Liverpool than either model this season. Both teams looked quicker and more fluid in possession. I don't have quite the same feeling this season that I'm watching two of the greatest teams of all time at the peak of their powers.

Taylor: This is a difficult question. But Liverpool excels because of the speed of its counterattacks. I used to feel the same way about Arsene Wenger's amazing Arsenal team. They might defend a corner kick, with almost everyone coming back, but all they need is one pass, a nice break or a foul, and they're away. It's a fantastic sight, six or seven players charging forward with full force.

Shepherd: Liverpool are more likely to keep you on the edge of your seat than Guardiola's masters of control, who, at their best, are more capable of keeping a tight leash in a game from start to finish, leaving you (as a neutral) partly in awe and partly annoyed at the realization that in some Sometimes it's not anyone's game – it's City's game.

Anka: This season City have remained in an almost imperious mode, but there is something about how close to perfection they are at playing the game that makes it difficult to stir the spirit. They lack the risks that make football so human and exciting. Liverpool 2.0, on the other hand, has a striker who takes five shots per game and runs like a speedboat with a broken rudder. Darwin Nunez at the box office.

Miller: Liverpool. I prefer football to be chaotic rather than controlled (although there is a certain beauty in that), so from that perspective, there is really only one choice.

Who would you rather go to the pub with, Klopp or Guardiola?

Kay: Without wanting to give this much thought…

The first four pints: Klopp is lively and friendly, and Guardiola is clearly uncomfortable (“Are you sure you're okay with this, Pep?” “More than you think.”) But there will come a point (four pints? Six? Eight?) where he will lose. Klopp's composure is quite reasonably set aside and his mood will darken significantly. It was perhaps the same point at which Guardiola, who was now in very good form, began to loosen his nerves.

Then, once you really started to put pressure on Guardiola, Klopp would bounce back, all bear hugs and Jagerbombs, and it was all forgotten.

The answer is Klopp, but it is not clear.

Taylor: No doubt the night with Klopp would last longer and mean the worst of the hangover the next morning. But I still say Guardiola. I want to hear everything he has to say about Lionel Messi and ignore the fact that he's been asked the same questions a million times.

Shepherd: It depends on who you ask. If you ask Sarah the journalist, Guardiola is the one who I feel gives less of himself as a person apart from Klopp, and I would like to spend a few hours in his company doing some research. If you ask Sarah, 40, who just wants an easy, entertaining conversation after a long week, it would probably be Klopp.

Anka: Guardiola's wife Cristina said you could only talk to him about something non-football related for about 40 minutes before his mind started to return to the game. I don't like to talk about work when I go to the bar, so I go have a drink with Klopp and ask his thoughts on Dune: Part 2.

Miller: Well, Klopp – obviously. But I'd love to spend an evening with Guardiola to see if his eccentricity is just something the public encounters or if he's really like that all the time.

Which manager do you think will leave a greater legacy in English football?

Kay: Both will leave a strong legacy in terms of the game as a whole, regardless of their club, but when you see how many teams constantly try to play from the back, even at grassroots/amateur level, the influence Guardiola has had on the psychology of English football is enormous.

Taylor: This is the easiest to answer. Have you watched lower division football lately? You will see goalkeepers playing the ball short, and defenders kicking it around their penalty area. It's a pep ball. See, I wrote a whole article about it The athlete.

Shepherd: Guardiola. He has made City almost unbeatable at their best and pioneering tactical innovations, such as inverted full-backs and playing with a false striker or no recognized striker, have already left their mark on the Premier League.

Anka: I would say Klopp. His “football is the most important unimportant things in life” attitude is much needed. However, Guardiola's style of the game is now the favorite in football. He may be overextending himself when he says he doesn't play tiki-taka, but he has a responsibility to make the approach popular.

Miller: Personally, I would remember Klopp more fondly, but the actual answer is Guardiola; There are the accolades, but it also seems to be influencing more coaches, perhaps because in theory its success can be replicated a bit. Much of Klopp's success seems to depend on his charisma and emotional intelligence, which you can't teach or imitate unless you have it. You can look at Guardiola and think: “I can do that”, even if you are certainly wrong.

What is your favorite moment between Liverpool and City in the Klopp and Guardiola era?

Kay: There have been many matches of incredibly high quality – far more than most major Premier League competitions in the past. From a personal point of view, I have been fortunate to attend many of these matches, but watching Sadio Mane score in this match while sitting among his family and friends at his home in Senegal was an amazing experience.

Shepherd: John Stones' goal-line clearance in January 2019, which no one realized at the time would end up literally and figuratively being the narrowest of margins between the two teams that season, given just one point separated them at the end of it all.

Taylor: Sarah beats me to it, but Stones' goal-line clearance must go down in the City annals as one of the greatest individual moments. Do you know how far the ball was from being awarded as a goal? Eleven millimeters (less than half an inch)! Eleven! In the league, City finished with 98 points and Liverpool with 97.

Anka: As a Manchester United fan and reporter, I reject the word 'favourite'. Any joy I derive from watching these teams is quickly followed by a feeling of sadness that my team still has a way to go before it reaches this level. But, like Sarah and Danny, I often think about getting Stones off the line. If the ball had moved another 11mm, Liverpool would have won that match and the title.

Miller: I could pick any number of great goals or exciting matches, but in reality, it's Guardiola screaming 'twice! TWIIIIIIIIIICCCEEE!” into the night sky, with the associated hand movements and bending backwards so far, he almost fell, having thought City had been denied two penalties at Anfield in November 2019.

Name your lineup assembled from existing teams…

What are your expectations for Sunday?

Kay: 2-2

Taylor: 2-2

Shepherd: 2-2

Anka: 2-2

Miller: 2-1 for Liverpool.

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Today's match between Liverpool and Manchester City could help determine the race for the Premier League title – and The athlete He analyzes every important angle.

(Top images: Getty Images)