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This Premier League season has been one of the most entertaining ones. With Manchester City and Liverpool playing a game of snakes and ladders, the title is still out there for any one of these two to grab. Both teams have been trading blows throughout the season and it has been a fascinating watch. With Manchester City winning their match, it is imperative for Liverpool to win theirs. We take a look at the 5 talking points ahead of Liverpool’s next hurdle on the road, Cardiff City.
#1 - The mid-week high
While Manchester City and Tottenham were battling it out, Liverpool had a quiet night in Porto as they literally ran rampant over the latter. A 4-1 victory over Porto with the front three all on the scoresheet and even Virgil adding one, it was a good outing for the Reds.
Now they travel to the Cardiff City Stadium to face one of the bottom three teams who have finally gotten a victory over Brighton last week after three consecutive defeats. While Cardiff haven't really made life difficult for the big 6 teams, Liverpool would be wrong to take this match lightly.
#2 - Injury boost for Liverpool
With Dejan Lovren fit again, Liverpool finally have options in the back rather than relying only on Joel Matip and Virgil Van Dijk. One of the two center backs could look forward to a little rest as Joe Gomez has also passed his fitness. Having played a few minutes against Porto, Gomez looks to be returning to form which can only be a plus for Liverpool. But the best news of this week would certainly be Alex Oxlade Chamberlain nearing fitness. He could be on the bench this weekend. Having gone into the season with injury worries, it would be a major boost for Liverpool to have these players back.
#3 - The pressure of the title
With just a few matches left, City and Liverpool are both fighting tooth and nail to clinch the title. The pressure of the title is on both teams and it is yet to be seen who will succumb to the pressure first. Manchester City and Liverpool both have been winning their matches lately and the first one to lose points might be seeing the title slip from their hands. The pressure of the title will be weighing hard on the two teams for the upcoming matches.
#4 - Taking advantage of City’s win
While Liverpool have been relying on Tottenham and United to stop City, the latter managed to get a 1-0 win over Tottenham, diminishing the chances of Liverpool. Liverpool will be feeling the pressure of that Manchester City victory and the one team who could take advantage of that game would be Cardiff. Cardiff could very well be playing mind games with Liverpool as they are well aware that Liverpool have to win in order to remain in the title chase and would be playing under pressure which could work in Cardiff’s favor.
#5 - Relegation battle
Cardiff currently sits at the 18th place in the Premier League table. Along with Brighton and Southampton, Cardiff finds itself in a relegation battle, to avoid joining Fulham and Huddersfield in the Championship next season. A win over Liverpool would not get them out of the relegation zone but it certainly would be a start. Liverpool would have to be wary of the team who are fighting for their survival in the Premier League. The relegation battle could overpower the title chase this Sunday.
Cardiff wouldn’t be a walk in the park for Liverpool but with the front three currently in good form, Cardiff have to be well prepared to host the Reds in their stadium.
