After Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspurs 1-0 tonight, Pep Guardiola's side is back on top of the EPL table with a sum of 86 points. Nevertheless, Manchester City is still anxious and tensed up as they are only one point away from Liverpool FC (85 points), another strong candidate for this year's EPL champs. The remaining few games for both teams are going to be the influential and consequential matches that will conclude this year's English Premier League Championship...
For the anticipating EPL fans, tonight's clash in the Etihad Stadium was the third time in the last 11 days that Guardiola's side and Pochettino's side have gone toe to toe, with the north London side coming out on top on the past two exhausting battles. It is of true extent, that City has won 4-3 on Wednesday's nail-biting Champions League action but it wasn't enough to put them through to the semifinals of the prestigious Europe tournament.
Though the traumatic end in the UEFA competition is likely to undermine City's mindset for some period, they can at least take comfort and satisfaction in Saturday's decisive, hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Spurs which saw them return to the very top of the English Premier League.
The crucial goal came in the fifth minute of the first half when Bernardo Silva's dexterous cross found Argentinian striker, Sergio Aguero, who displayed remarkable awareness and composure to lay off his header for Phil Foden to comfortably head into an abandoned net. It was the youngster's first league goal for the big club, becoming the first ever footballer born in the 2000s to net a goal for Manchester City in the Premier League.
Due to Manchester City's intensity and well-planned performance, they are officially ahead of Jurgen Klopp's side. Yet, Klopp's Liverpool will be meeting relegation-threatened Cardiff City and could once again return to the top of the EPL with a victory.
As the English Premier League 2018-19 season is coming to an end, I have briefly predicted two of the most likely winning scenarios between Liverpool and Tottenham and their performance with regards to their leftover matches. Just another reminder, these are simply my own opinions :)
Before the predictions, these are the disputants that both sides are left with for this year's season:
Manchester City's Leftover Opponents:
April 24th 2019: Manchester United (Away)
April 28th 2019: Burnley (Away)
May 4th 2019: Leicester City (Home)
May 12th 2019: Brighton (Away)
Liverpool's Leftover Opponents:
April 21st 2019: Cardiff City (Away)
April 26th 2019: Huddersfield (Home)
May 4th 2019: Newcastle United (Away)
May 12th 2019: Wolverhampton FC (Home)
Scenario #1 (Manchester City Champions):
Manchester City's Leftover Opponents:
Manchester United (Away) - Manchester City Wins
*Manchester United have exceptionally talented players that make up a dominant squad. Yet, in their most recent matchup on November, Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-1 (City Home) with David Silva, Sergio Aguero, and Ilkay Gundogan scoring the last. That match, Guardiola's side had 65% possession and were constantly generating terrific passes and crosses for their strikers. Although City plays at Old Trafford, it is highly likely that they will show the same level of confidence and superiority on the pitch.
Burnley (Away) - Manchester City Wins
*It is for sure to a large extent that Manchester City will once again smash Burnley into pieces. In their previous matchup (FA Cup 4th round), City beat Burnley 5-0 and in their EPL league match in October, City smashed Burnley 5-0 with over 20 close shots during the match.
Leicester City (Home) - Manchester City Wins
*The most recent match between Manchester City and Leicester City ended up horribly for Pep's side. Their loss of 2-1 in King Power Stadium was very unlucky as City took control and dominated the 90 minutes. Nevertheless, the red card to Fabian Delph and several super saves from Schmeichel, Leicester City's goalkeeper, prevented City from earning the three points. In my own opinion, Manchester City will probably win this match with ease as they are currently in exceptional form aiming extremely high for the title.
Brighton (Away) - Manchester City Wins
*City's final match against Brighton should be fairly easy as they have recently knocked them out of the FA Cup semifinals (1-0) and defeated them 2-0 back in September. If there are no errors or unnecessary mistakes, Manchester City should grab onto the three points for this game.
Final Overall Points for Manchester City: 98 points
Liverpool's Leftover Opponents:
Cardiff City (Away) - Liverpool Wins
*Going up against Cardiff City shouldn't be an immense obstacle for Liverpool. In their previous battle back in October, Liverpool smashed Cardiff 4-1 with Mohammed Salah, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Sadio Mane netting two astonishing goals. With Liverpool's current ambiance and game style, earning three points against Cardiff should be comfortable.
Huddersfield (Home) - Liverpool Wins
*Huddersfield as an opponent for Liverpool shouldn't be a burden for Klopp. Huddersfield is currently the last place in the EPL table with only 14 points in their point collection. Not to mention, Liverpool beat Huddersfield 1-0 back in October with Mohammed Salah scoring and Liverpool mostly controlling the flow of the intense game.
Newcastle United (Away) - Liverpool Wins
*Like Cardiff and Huddersfield, Benitez's Newcastle side should be a comforting match for Liverpool if they continue to pace their match and formulate opportunities during counter-attacks. Back in December 2019, Liverpool shattered Newcastle United with a 4-0 victory and taking control of 75% of the game's play.
Wolverhampton FC (Home) - Liverpool Draws
*Wolverhampton is the only threat remaining on Liverpool's list for this season. Recently this year, Wolverhampton knocked out Liverpool from the FA Cup tournament with a shocking 2-1 victory with Wolves aces Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves scoring two beauties. Moreover, Wolverhampton is currently in 7th place and had fairly high-quality results this season. For instance, beating Manchester United 2-1, smashing Everton 3-1, or absolutely demolishing West Ham with a 3-0 victory. Wolverhampton FC is one of those teams that are capable of building up their play, counter-attacking effectually, and surprising the opponent side with top-notch football skill.
Final Overall Points for Liverpool FC: 95 points
Scenario #2 (Liverpool FC Champions):
Manchester City's Leftover Opponents:
Manchester United (Away) - Manchester City Loses
*With the absence of passing machine Kevin De Bruyne, there are high possibilities that accurate crosses, smart through-passes, or mid-range shots will have a massive dip. Although the De Bruyne substitute, Ilkay Gundogan, is an outstanding German midfielder, it will be a pain in the back for Manchester City to lose their key player. This season, De Bruyne has managed 690 successful passes, 43 accurate long balls, as well as 88 spot-on crosses for his teammates. Additionally, Manchester United wingers like Lingard or Martial are phenomenal when it comes to the 'off the ball movement' and are capable of scoring when the opportunity comes.
Burnley (Away) - Manchester City Wins
Leicester City (Home) - Manchester City Draws
*Once again, Manchester City is absolutely capable of defeating the Foxes, yet the absence of Kevin De Bruyne will be an issue for City.
Brighton (Away) - Manchester City Wins
Final Overall Points for Manchester City: 93 points
Liverpool's Leftover Opponents:
Cardiff City (Away) - Liverpool Wins
Huddersfield (Home) - Liverpool Wins
Newcastle United (Away) - Liverpool Wins
Wolverhampton FC (Home) - Liverpool Draws
Final Overall Points for Liverpool FC: 95 points
Scenario ?? (Make your own predictions):
Recently CNN (Cable News Network) Sports has created a simulation program where an individual can predict the English Premier League champions.
Click here to make your predictions and play around with varying scenarios for Manchester City and Liverpool FC.
So, who will it be? Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool or Pep Guardiola's Manchester City? We'll have to sit tight and wait for the results...
*Click here to look at the citation page straight away for this post!
Comments