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EPL Odds: Man City, Liverpool Fight For UCL Spot

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Soccer News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Adam Lallana attacking down the wing
Photo credit: John Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.

Manchester City (-105) vs Liverpool (+275), Draw (+260)

Manchester City (17-5-5, 56 points) hosts Liverpool (16-7-5, 55 points) this Sunday, March 19, in a hugely meaningful match in the English Premier League.

Both Liverpool and Manchester City have an outside shot at the EPL title this season, but their chances are becoming increasingly slim. With Chelsea ten points clear of the league, it’s going to take something special for anyone to catch up. Being more realistic, this match matters far more for next year’s Champions League. A top-three finish – which guarantees qualification into the 2017-18 UCL Group Stage – is well within reach for both teams. But so is falling to fourth.

As it stands, Manchester City are currently in third place, tied on points with second-place Tottenham and one point above fourth-place Liverpool. However, Liverpool have played one more game than the other top-four due to their ouster from the FA Cup.

 

 

Manchester City are being bombarded with criticism for the fact that they’re not challenging for the league title. In reality, they are putting in a respectable showing this season, especially recently. They’re unbeaten in their last eleven games, still in with a shot for the FA Cup, and are likely to make the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Expectations were extremely high when manager Pep Guardiola signed with City at the start of the season, but realistically, he’s done an adequate job with what he’s been given.

On the other hand, Liverpool do not have much to play for outside of a UCL spot. They failed to qualify for any European competitions after finishing eighth last year; they’re out of the FA Cup, and effectively out of the title race.

Manchester City have been more reliable than Liverpool this season, but against the other top teams, they’ve tended to underperform. Liverpool’s season has been the opposite. The team has suffered some humiliating defeats this year, recently losing to relegation-threatened sides Hull City and Leicester City. But against the top teams, they’ve fared quite well. In the last few weeks, they’ve managed to beat both Arsenal (3-1) and Tottenham (2-0). It’s been a frustrating dynamic for everyone who waves the banner at Anfield.

Another reason to like the Reds in this match is that Manchester City have a mid-week Champions League game that will see them will fly to Monaco. The first-leg game was a grueling fight, so there’s a decent chance they’ll be pretty worn out come Sunday. They may have had a disappointing season so far, but I’m going to go with Liverpool on this one.

Pick: Liverpool (+275)

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