international champions cup; Manchester city vs. Liverpool (match preview)

Manchester city and Liverpool both lost first matches as they kicked off their pre-season tour. Coincidentally Borussia Dortmund happened to be the victorious opponent. It’s really been a while since two English clubs lost to a single German outfit within such a short duration. The two clubs who retained their managers over the summer who be looking to get back on winning ways as soon as possible.

Manchester City

Pep Gurdiola’s out of favor goalkeeper who is anxious of a permanent move away from the Etihad might just be closer to that realization. City’s loss to Dortmund has created an unrest in the camp of the senior team. Other players like Patrick Roberts and Jason Denayer have also expressed their displeasure at spending most of their contract time on loan.
Having a two day advantage in respect to days of rest when compared to the Reds, the sharks should be better prepared for this fixture. They would also be looking to clamp back on the champions league finalist after losing both legs in the just concluded tournament.
With the 2018/2019 English Premier League season due to commence in less than a month. The blues will be looking to conclude transfer talks before transfer windows come to a halt. These players might just be featuring in their last games in the City outfit.

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool on the other hand lost minutes to the blast of the final whistle to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday evening. The Liverpool boss and former Dortmund handler Jürgen Klopp will be looking to reshuffle his starting lineup. This could give rise for an exciting friendly.
While they don’t have any bothers in their camp at the moment. Just like City they would have a host of players on the absentee list due to holidays. This leaves the manager with limited resources. Defender Van Dijk would be looking to mentor some academy players which could prove vital for the team. This would help strengthen healthy competition for first team shirts.

HEAD TO HEAD

Being in the top flight of English football has seen both teams meet each other repeatedly, although the latest fixture came in the champion’s league. Liverpool leads on a head to head basis with 104 victories, 54 losses and 54 draws in all competitive games. Leaving them dominating preceding’s for the past century or so.
On a head to head radar for both managers, klopp leads with six victories, one draw and five defeats. Both managers are attack minded, with that being the case this game should producing some really entertaining play. Both teams would not be too cautious as they have very little to play for.

POSSIBLE LINEUP

Manchester City:
Hart, Gardia, Laporte, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Diaz, Douglas Luiz, Foden, Roberts, Nmecha, Sane
Liverpool:
Karius, Clyne, Klavan, Van Dijk, Merono, Milner, Fabinho, Jones, Camacho, Sturridge, Solanke.

PICK

Whilst most of the first team players are still on holidays, this match could set the tone for the incoming 2018/2019 EPL season.
Both Teams to score