6 reasons why Liverpool vs Manchester City would be the biggest clash of the 2018/19 Premier League season

Manchester City v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg
Both teams scored 18 goals between themselves last season

Super Sunday in the EPL would present one of the most anticipated clashes of the season, as Liverpool hosts Manchester City at Anfield.

The match would guarantee fireworks, as both managers have a reputation of playing attacking and attractive football which provides plenty of entertainment.

Manchester City under Guardiola have made massive strides, and were last season's runaway league winners, triumphing in the league in emphatic fashion, and breaking a plethora of PL records en-route.

Liverpool, on the other hand, haven't won the league in 28 years, and have fallen from the highs of the 1970s and 1980s when The Reds were the most dominant club in England and one of the best on the continent.

Since Jurgen Klopp's appointment in 2015, Liverpool has seen a steady transformation at the club, and the German's gegenpressing style of play has won the club numerous admirers across the world.

The club has made steady progress in recent years, and have firmly re-established themselves among the upper echelons of English football, having fallen out at the end of the last decade.

Jurgen Klopp oversaw a massive spending spree in the offseason, which saw the club send a statement of their intent by outspending every other club in the league and breaking the world record fee for a goalkeeper in addition to their record transfer for Van Dijk in January.

Liverpool would very well go into the league as one of the favourites to win it and would seek to build on the gains made in recent years, including getting to last season's UCL final.

The clash with City has a lot more than three points at stake, as two of the best teams in England go head to head. Here are six reasons why the match would be the biggest clash of the season.

#6 It pits the top two against one another

Manchester City sit in first place heading into the match, while Liverpool sit second, level on points and two points in front of everyone else in the league ahead of Chelsea's fixture with Southampton.

The fixture offers an opportunity for one to usurp the other atop the league standings, and this would provide a psychological boost for the victor heading into the international break.

Both teams are also unbeaten in the league, as City and Liverpool have posted an almost perfect record from seven matches, with the only blemishes coming away to Wolves and Chelsea respectively.

With the opportunity to end the other's unbeaten record as well as go first on the table up for grabs, we can be sure that both clubs would go all out to grab it.

#5 Both managers know only one way to play

Manchester City v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg
Manchester City and Liverpool are both attacking sides

Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are two of the most revered managers in the world at the moment, boasting a respectable CV with titles won, and more importantly, winning the respect of all and sundry for their aesthetic style of play.

Pep Guardiola has long gained fame with his tiki-taka possession based pattern, while Klopp’s gegenpressing means that his teams are never short of exhilaration and excitement anytime they take to the field.

Both managers prioritize their attack over their defence and emphasize on not just winning, but winning while playing beautifully. Liverpool and Manchester City play at all times to win, focusing solely on outscoring their opponent and not being pragmatic to grind out a result.

And with both managers knowing only one way to play, we are guaranteed that there would be a lot of excitement in display at An field when both titans take to the field.

#4 Guardiola's quest for revenge

Manchester City v Liverpool - Premier League
Guardiola has a losing record against Klopp

As stated earlier, last season, Guardiola built a rampaging army, who obliterated all and sundry before them in the Premier League, winning the league at a canter with a lot of records including most points, goals scored and a consecutive number of victories.

Indeed, City were so dominant in the league, that they were unbeaten for the first 22 matches of the season, with many believing they would be on course to become the first team since Arsenal's invincibles in 2004 to win the league unbeaten, and that dream was a reality until a visit to Anfield.

On that fateful day, Man City were very much in the match holding out a 1-1 draw, until a 15 minute blitz in the second half resulted in the Cityzens finding themselves 4-1 down with 30 minutes left.

Although they rallied back to make it 4-3, the damage had been done, and Manchester City had been defeated for the first time last season.

Later on, in April, Guardiola was looking to win third Champions League trophy of his managerial career, as well as the first in City's history after guiding them to the quarterfinals for only the second time ever when they were drawn with Liverpool.

A first leg implosion at Anfield resulted in a 3-0 loss for City, while Mo Salah put them to the sword once more in the second leg for a 2-1 defeat, with Liverpool again showing their superiority.

For all of City's dominance last season, one team blotted their invincibility, and given Guardiola's poor record against Klopp (losing 8 out of 14 matches), the Catalan would be out for revenge against Liverpool.

#3 It would be a statement victory

Manchester City v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg
Manchester City would seek a statement victory

Manchester City are everybody's favourite to retain the league title, as their strength in depth couples with the tactical nous of their manager and adaptation of the player's to his tactics place them miles ahead of everyone else.

The Cityzens have begun this season whee they left off, sitting top of the table with 19 from a possible 21 points, and scoring 21 goals on the process.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are widely considered to be the nearest challengers to City, and arguably the only pretender to City's throne.

The clash at Anfield offers an opportunity for the winner to send a message to the rest of the league, as if Manchester City win, it would almost be like an unspoken confirmation of their utter superiority and signal that they are ready to dominate once again.

It is also a platform for Liverpool to sound out a warning of their title aspirations, as there is no better way for Liverpool to send their intent to take over the throne than by defeating its current occupier.

#2 Manchester City's Poor record at Anfield

Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Group C
Liverpool has a good record against City at Anfield

It is no hidden secret that Anfield is one of the more traditionally difficult grounds for Manchester City in the Premier League.

The last time City won at Liverpool's home ground, Ronaldo (the Brazilian) was still reigning supreme as the world's best player, all the way back in 2003.

Since then there have been 11 defeats in 15 visits; they have won just one of their last 27 and not kept a clean sheet in their last 24.

To say that Anfield is an unhappy stumping ground for City would be merely stating the obvious, and this would be playing at the back of their minds as they take the trip up north.

With Manchester City all out to end their hoodoo at Anfield and Liverpool determined to protect their home dominance, we would be set for a thriller.

#1 Their clashes last season left us wanting more

Manchester City v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg
Both teams scored 18 goals between themselves last season

Man City and Liverpool met each other a total of four times last season; four absolute blockbusters that had the edge of your seat excitement in abundance and made sure there was never a dull moment.

It all started off with their first clash at the Etihad in September, where a contentious first-half red card to Saido Mane for stamping Ederson opened the floodgates for City to run out 5-0 winners.

That should have served as a lesson in pragmatism for Klopp, but the German stuck to his guns and insisted on attacking City and neutrals were the better for it, as the January fixture provided 7 goals in all proportions in what was one of the all-time classics and ended City's unbeaten run at 22 for the season and 30 consecutively from the previous season.

The two legs of their Champions League ties also provided excitement and displayed everything there is to love about football.

All of the pair's clashes last season were swashbuckling encounters which provided 18 goals (at a phenomenal rate of over 4 goals per match), with most of them memorable.

More of the same, please.

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Edited by Sripad