Liverpool V Manchester City – TIP: Manchester City to WIN – Monday, 11 April 2011

Premier League Tips

 

Liverpool V Manchester City

Date & Kick-Off: Monday, 11 April – 20:00 (GMT)
Competition: Barclay’s Premier League


Man City manager Roberto Mancini has urged his players to show everyone, especially those who doubt him and his excessively paid stars, that they are capable of going to places like Anfield, where they haven’t won in the league since 2003, and win. Since then, however, the Citizens have registered just two points from seven visits to one of the most historic grounds in the country – two draws and five losses – though can take some heart from the fact their recent ventures have produced two creditable score-draws.

The Italian also believes his charges are primed to end their seven-year wait for a win on Merseyside over one of the most decorated clubs in the country, after their 5-0 thumping of struggling Sunderland eight-days previous consolidated their top-four stance.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will start life without their talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard on Monday, with the 30-year-old midfielder ruled out of the remainder of the campaign after successful surgery on a persistent groin problem.

To further complicate matters for Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish, who is yet to put pen to paper on a deal which would keep him at Anfield beyond the end of the season, the Scot is facing a defensive crisis heading into Monday’s heavyweight clash with a rejuvenated City. Daniel Agger will spend the remainder of the season recovering from a knee problem, while full-backs Martin Kelly and Glen Johnson are still a good month away from making their respective returns to the first-team fold.

During the 2-1 reverse away at West Brom last time out, Dalglish was forced to use centre-backs as makeshift full-backs. If Fabio Aurelio isn’t fit in time, Dalglish may once again be forced to deploy a similarly makeshift back-four.

City chief Mancini doesn’t carry the same burden into Monday night’s game, with the Italian having only Jerome Boateng and Micah Richards out injured, although Kolo Toure is still suspending pending an investigation into a failed drugs test. It is, however, three defends who Mancini is shorn of, the only difference being that City have quality in numbers and should comfortably fill those voids.

From a betting perspective, the home side have far too many significant negatives to really take them serious. Unbeaten in six league games at Anfield they are, but Liverpool are missing several key defensive components as well as their most influential player in the middle of the park in captain Steven Gerrard.

Furthermore, with the Reds now eight-points behind fifth-placed Spurs, who occupy the one and only league entry into the UEFA Europa League, a competition Liverpool could definitely do without, and a further eleven behind City in fourth, it’s difficult to argue with this next statement that Liverpool’s season is all but over with seven games still to play.

The above certainly does not apply to Man City, who are locked in a heated battle for fourth with Tottenham Hotspur, who were 3-2 winners on Saturday. Mancini’s men are now only three-points ahead of the north Londoners, although they have a golden opportunity to stretch their advantage to six with their first league win at Anfield for seven years.

But the Citizens are far from flawless. Not since Boxing Day have Mancini’s men took maximum points from an away fixture in the Premier League, drawing two and losing three of their last five away league games. It’s an appalling statistic but one which is there to be broken, as is their seven-year drought without a win on Merseyside over the Reds.

One thing is assured, City won’t have a better window of opportunity to win at Anfield in the league for quite some time, especially as Dalglish appears as though he’s onto something at a club which, under new owners, have bold plans to take Liverpool by the scruff of the neck and return them to the big time. No doubt they’ll flex their financial muscles in the summer, however next season will be their time to shine, now it’s City’s.

 

Betting Tip: Manchester City to WIN – 3.00 StanJames

Value Bet: Carlos Tevez First Goalscorer – 6.50 BetFred *

The Argentine is hot on the heels of United’s Dimitar Berbatov in this two-horsed race for the 2010/2011 Premier League Golden Boot. The Bulgarian was on target for Sir Alex’s men at the weekend as he opened up a two-goal advantage, but Tevez is set to lead the line on Monday in a match Man City ideally have to take maximum points from if they’re to put further daylight between them and Tottenham.

Tevez has 19 league goals for the term and now trails Berbatov by two, so he’ll be more determined than most to get on the score sheet on Monday.

* BetFred are doing their popular ‘Double Delight & Hat-Trick Heaven’ promotion for this game, where if your player scores the game’s opening goal and then goes on to score another, Fred will double your winnings. Should he go on to score a hat-trick however, Fred would then treble your winnings!