“Let’s be frank…” – Paul Merson and Chris Sutton agree on Man City v Liverpool predictions | OneFootball

Paul Merson and Chris Sutton are both tipping Liverpool to make an emphatic statement in the Premier League title race when they face Manchester City on Sunday.

The Reds’ lead could be cut to five points by the time they take to the Etihad Stadium pitch if Arsenal beat West Ham tomorrow, although Pep Guardiola’s side are reeling from their tame Champions League exit to Real Madrid and could potentially be without Erling Haaland due to injury.

Despite Arne Slot’s men dropping points at Everton and Aston Villa over the past nine days (and falling over the line against Wolves), a few pundits are backing them to secure a first top-flight victory at the home of the reigning champions since November 2015.

What have Merson and Sutton predicted for Man City v Liverpool?

In his weekly Premier League predictions column for Sportskeeda, Merson wrote: “I think Liverpool will rip City apart here. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that’s just what I feel. City have no chance!

“If Liverpool fail to win, they will be extremely disappointed. City looked extremely slow against Real Madrid and considering how Liverpool play, the Reds will be too quick for Pep Guardiola’s men.

“A win for Liverpool here would be the end of Arsenal’s title hopes. Once they beat City, I expect Liverpool to win against Newcastle and Southampton. Now that’s 13 points out of a possible 15 against arguably three of the top six teams in the league. That is champion mentality in my opinion.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Merson has predicted a 3-1 win over Liverpool, as has Sutton, who told BBC Sport: “Manchester City basically waved the white flag at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night and, without Erling Haaland, lacked belief against Real Madrid from the off. Let’s be frank, it was a shambolic performance from Pep Guardiola’s side, with a real lack of intensity.

“Liverpool had a tricky time of it against Villa in midweek but they must think they can get at this City side too.”

Liverpool won’t have a better chance of winning at the Etihad

Not since the aforementioned 4-1 romp at the Etihad nearly a decade ago have Liverpool had a better chance to secure three points on City’s home turf, with Guardiola’s side out of the title race and the Champions League by February, leaving the FA Cup as their only realistic chance of major silverware this season.

The Reds were by far the better team in the reverse fixture at the start of December, ruthlessly putting the Sky Blues to the sword at Anfield with a level of performance we unfortunately haven’t seen in recent weeks.

We’re at that point of the season where, as much as we’d love to watch LFC putting on a five-star show every time they take to the pitch, all that truly matters is getting a result; and a win away to City – irrespective of the margin or how it’s earned – would feel like an enormous statement of intent in the title race.

In order to secure victory, though, Liverpool would need to improve vastly upon the performances they turned in against Everton, Wolves and Villa. Guardiola’s team mightn’t be the force of previous years, but they showed with their 4-0 dismantling of Newcastle last week that they can still turn on the style when at their best.

A draw on Sunday would be respectable for the Reds. A win would feel like a huge step towards potentially dethroning Haaland and co as Premier League champions.