“The Reds will put up a fight, but I see this one going to form” – Joleon Lescott makes confident Manchester City prediction ahead of Liverpool showdown

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott believes his old side will beat Liverpool at Anfield in their Premier League clash on Sunday (16 October).

The Cityzens are unbeaten in the league this term and, with 23 points from nine games, are just a point away from leaders Arsenal.

Erling Haaland has netted 20 goals in his 13 appearances across all competitions so far for Manchester City. He was rested for their midweek UEFA Champions League clash with Copenhagen on Tuesday (11 October).

However, Manchester City's record at Anfield is woeful, having won just two of their 25 Premier League games there. But they will face a Liverpool team who are struggling at the moment with just two wins from their opening eight top-flight encounters.

Lescott was asked about his predictions ahead of the huge game at Anfield. He predicted that Pep Guardiola's side would come away with a 2-0 victory. The former England defender explained to LiveScore:

“As I said before, Liverpool will feel they need to win this and that could leave space for Haaland to exploit.

“City are in a great rhythm at the moment. They didn’t find the net in the Champions League on Tuesday, but I’d actually say it’s harder for them not to score right now! The Reds will put up a fight, but I see this one going to form.”

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Pep Guardiola believes Liverpool are still Manchester City's biggest title rivals this season

Manchester City are currently 13 points ahead of Jurgen Klopp's side, but have lost their previous two meetings against the Reds. One of those results included a 3-1 defeat in the Community Shield before the start of the season, and Guardiola has called for his side to get tougher.

Speaking at his pre-game press conference, the Spaniard stated (as per The Mail):

"In the last two games, we were a little bit soft, you have to win duels. When they push you, you have to push. The semifinal of the FA Cup, it was tough to recover from the Champions League (quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid three days prior).

"You have to behave at a top, top level. Being active in the second balls and many things. In Anfield, we are not losing without personality. I had the feeling that we behave really well in Anfield."

He added:

"The opinion I have of Liverpool is that nothing changes with the situation in the table. Liverpool were fighting for four unprecedented titles.

"They couldn’t achieve something because of just two little details. This is the same team. We will have bad moments. It’s the nature of the competition."