The Football's On - Episode 29
Jun 7Liverpool travel to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime in a huge clash for the top of the Premier League table.
The hosts are hoping to close the gap on league leaders Arsenal, while the Reds are in a battle for the Champions League qualification places.
Here are three reasons to watch Man City's meeting with Liverpool at the Etihad, live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate from 11.30am.
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Will Erling Haaland make it three hat-tricks in three?
The hat-tricks keep coming and the records keep tumbling for Erling Haaland at Manchester City after back-to-back trebles for Pep Guardiola's side.
Haaland's three against Burnley in the FA Cup win followed up his five against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, meaning that the Norwegian has six hat-tricks already this campaign.
In total, the City hitman has bagged himself 42 goals this term, producing the most prolific season in the club's history - a record that had stood since the 1928/29 season - and we're not even in April yet.
Haaland is only three goals away from breaking the record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002/03 and Mohamed Salah in 2017/18 for the most netted by a Premier League player in a single season across all competitions.
Providing that he features against Jurgen Klopp's men after returning to England prematurely from the international break due to a groin injury, Haaland has the chance to surpass both Van Nistelrooy and Salah with a third straight Etihad hat-trick.
Unusually for the prolific No 9, Haaland has netted just once in three games so far against the Reds in all competitions and will look to up those numbers when the Merseysiders come to town.
Will it be more away-day misery for Liverpool?
Every time Liverpool appear to have turned a corner this season and make progress, they seem to take a step back.
The Reds looked to be putting together something of a run with home wins over Wolves and Manchester United - the latter a sensational 7-0 thrashing of Erik ten Hag's side.
But a 1-0 loss at relegation-threatened Bournemouth and a defeat by the same scoreline to Real Madrid in an already-settled Champions League last-16 tie have left Jurgen Klopp scratching his head.
The stark contrast between Liverpool's home and away form will be of huge concern to the German.
In their last six league games at home, they've won five, yet in the previous half-dozen on the road, they've tasted victory just once, including demoralising January losses at Brentford, Brighton and Wolves.
Liverpool defeated Manchester City at Anfield in one of their finest days of the campaign back in mid-October thanks to Mohamed Salah's winner 14 minutes from the end of normal time.
But it would be typical of the Merseysiders to provide a chalk-and-cheese display away from home when they come up against the defending Premier League champions this Saturday.
Klopp will be looking to ensure that's not the case, although history suggests his men may be up against it having failed to win on any of their last six league visits to the Etihad.
Must-win clash for Manchester City
The Premier League title race between Manchester City and Arsenal looks set to go down to the wire this season with plenty of twists and turns already - and plenty still to come.
Mikel Arteta's side raced into an eight-point lead in mid-January only to see that evaporate with defeat at Everton, a draw against Brentford and most damagingly, a 3-1 loss at home to City last month.
But six straight Premier League wins have reopened that eight-point advantage for the Gunners at the summit, albeit having played a game more than Pep Guardiola's side.
City can't afford too many more slip-ups with just 11 games for the defending champions to play in the Premier League this campaign, and Guardiola will be desperate to ensure they close the gap back to five points ahead of Arsenal's clash with Leeds later on Saturday afternoon.
