Manchester City and Liverpool will clash in an all-English affair in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday evening in what promises to be an enthralling encounter, writes DEAN WORKMAN.
Pep Guardiola’s side has swept all opposition aside in this season’s Premier League, sitting 16 points clear at the top of the table with the chance to secure the title with a victory in this weekend’s Manchester Derby. City’s domestic form has transformed them into one of Europe’s top teams and they are rightly considered one of the top contenders to lift the Champions League trophy at the end of the season.
The Sky Blues made light work of the group stages, finishing top of the group with five victories from six games. They were then drawn against FC Basel in the round of 16. The Citizens dominated the first leg, winning 4-0 away and despite a 2-1 home loss in the second leg, they were through to the quarter-finals, winning 5-2 on aggregate.
Now City face the task of overcoming the only team that has beaten them in the Premier League this season: Liverpool. Guardiola’s task, when appointed at City, was undoubtedly to get them to the summit of European football and that means winning the Champions League. But first, they will need to get past a Liverpool team who are not short of confidence under Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool emerged top of Group E with three wins and three draws, scoring a lot of goals in the process. Led by star man Mohamed Salah, the Reds have been in red-hot form going forward and the arrival of Virgil van Dijk in January has helped tighten up their leaky defence. Klopp’s team were drawn against FC Porto in the round of 16 where their goalscoring form continued. The five-time European champions comprehensively beat their Portuguese opponents 5-0 in the first leg played in Portugal before drawing 0-0 in the return leg.
The first leg will take place at Anfield which could significantly impact who progresses to the semi-finals. If Guardiola’s team can turn it on in Merseyside and get a healthy advantage, the tie could be over. However, if Liverpool can shut out City and grab a goal or two of their own, it will be all to play for in the second leg.
This encounter is riddled with subplots and battles all over the pitch, which could result in an entertaining fixture. Both teams have become known for their attacking exploits and while it is almost impossible to predict who will go through, we can be certain that there will be goals.
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