'What a game' - Paul Merson delivers score prediction for heavyweight clash between Liverpool and Man City

The Sky Sports pundit has cast his eye over this weekend’s blockbuster clash.
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Paul Merson is predicting a sharing of the spoils when Liverpool face Manchester City this weekend.

The two Premier League heavyweights square up for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon, with the Reds hoping to maintain their spot at the top of the table.

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For their part, City will be looking to bounce back from a midweek Champions League defeat at the hands of PSG, and could leapfrog Jurgen Klopp’s men with three points at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola (Photo by MARTIN RICKETT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola (Photo by MARTIN RICKETT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola (Photo by MARTIN RICKETT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Looking ahead to the mouth-watering clash, Merson told Metro that he’s expecting a tight affair with plenty of goals.

The former Arsenal man said: “What a game, eh? The standout fixture of the Premier League weekend. I just think Manchester City are struggling without a centre forward and that could come back to haunt them.

“They scored a deflected goal against Chelsea, but they lost to PSG and didn’t really threaten Gianluigi Donnarumma between the sticks despite dominating possession.

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“Donnarumma didn’t make a save I wouldn’t have expected him to make – it was evident that if Manchester City had a lethal centre forward on the pitch, it could have been a different story.

Liverpool vs Manchester City.Liverpool vs Manchester City.
Liverpool vs Manchester City.

“Goalscoring isn’t a problem for them if they are playing Norwich City and the likes, but in crunch games, they need to put their chances away.

“Liverpool, on the other hand, are scoring goals aplenty, so this is a really interesting game. I think both sides will score goals, so I’m predicting a 2-2 draw.

“The talent going forward outweighs the talent at the back, while it can also be said that if both teams get their best XIs out, there’s not a lot between them.”

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City have enjoyed the better of this fixture in recent times, winning two of their last three meetings against the Reds, and drawing the third.

In fact, Liverpool have won just one of their last seven clashes against Pep Guardiola’s side, picking up all three points in a 3-1 victory at Anfield back in November 2019. Fabinho, Mo Salah, and Sadio Mane were on the scoresheet that day.