MAN CITY vs LIVERPOOL (Feat. Andy Jones)
This erstwhile title bout could decide whether Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy this season.
This was once the match in the Premier League, the perennial title bout, but MANCHESTER CITY have veered perilously off-course this season. LIVERPOOL have cruised to the top of the table, but they’ve started coughing up points in recent weeks and Arsenal have become more than just a speck in the rearview mirror. By kickoff here, it could be a five-point advantage at the top. If City find a way to dash Liverpool’s dreams yet again, there could be a title race after all.
Joining us to preview the big match on Sunday (11:30am ET, 4:30pm UK) is Andy Jones, a staff writer for The Athletic covering Liverpool:
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Or check it out on APPLE PODCASTS🍎
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READS
⚽︎ Liam Tharne has a piece in The Athletic exploring “Man City’s half-hearted press against Real Madrid,” which they certainly can’t afford to replicate on Sunday.
⚽︎ Former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales was “found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent” at the 2023 World Cup, the BBC reports. He’s set to pay a €10,800 fine and avoid jail time.
⚽︎ Michael Butler tells the tale of Shamrock Rovers and an Irish football renaissance in The Guardian.
⚽︎ In The Athletic, Chris Waugh and George Caulkin ask whether Newcastle will benefit from Man City’s court victory over the Premier League.
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MORE MATCHES
EVERTON vs MAN UNITED
Sat @ 7:30am ET, 12:30pm UK
Just a month or two ago, this would’ve been a crash of two clown cars. Moyes the Magician has magicked Everton back to life, however, and they are firm favorites at home against his former employers. When I went to Liverpool last month, I was struck by the disdain for Manchester United on the Blue side of the city as well as the Red, and here’s a chance for the Toffees to strike yet another body blow on United manager Ruben Amorim. He surely wishes he’d stayed in Portugal. “My job is so, so hard here,” he said this week.
PARMA vs BOLOGNA
9am ET, 2pm UK
It’s the Derby dell'Emilia, into which we dove in some detail earlier this season. It’s named for a region that’s named after a road—the Via Aemilia—that the Romans built after they took this chunk of northern Italy off some Celtic tribes back in 189 BC. These two have enjoyed success at different times in their histories, and these days, Bologna are better off. They’ve been bounced out of the Champions League, but they’re still in the hunt for a European place next season. Parma are just trying to dodge relegation in their first season back in Serie A.
ARSENAL vs WEST HAM
10am ET, 3pm UK
There’s another London derby in the same window with FULHAM vs CRYSTAL PALACE, but this one has implications for the title race. Arsenal must win to stay in it, but West Ham could be a different proposition under new head coach Graham Potter even if they’re still struggling to pick up results. This battle will be uphill for the Hammers, but they’ve derailed Arsenal title tilts before. To start, they’ll have to keep out makeshift center forward Mikel Merino, a box-to-box midfielder by trade who bagged twice last weekend when he went up front for the strikerless Gunners.
ASTON VILLA vs CHELSEA
12:30pm ET, 5:30pm UK
Does anyone want to play in the Champions League? Both these sides looked a decent bet to finish in the top four or five not long ago, but Villa have struggled with the demands of top-table European football piled onto their domestic commitments. Chelsea have gone completely off the boil, meanwhile, taking eight points from the last 24 available, to the point that the club’s directors are getting questions about manager Enzo Maresca’s future. The Italian will not relish a trip to Villa Park, where Liverpool could only manage a draw in midweek.
INTER MIAMI vs NYC FC
2:30pm ET, 7:30pm UK
It’s opening day in Major League Soccer for its 30th season, and the Barcelona alumni will host last season’s Eastern Conference playoff semifinalists. By now, you’ve surely seen Lionel Messi’s Frozen Goal: a deft takedown on the chest while backpedaling, a swivel, a chop to evade the defender, and a sly rolled finish that slid in off the far post. You’ve also probably seen the jokes about how this puts that old debate to bed about whether he could do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke. It was 3 degrees Farenheit at halftime in Kansas City, but the GOAT brought his winter coat.
NEWCASTLE vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Sun @ 9am ET, 2pm UK
Here’s a clash of genuine Top Four-slash-Five contenders. The visitors have lost two of their last three, but Forest are still third in the table and in a very strong position to qualify for the Champions League. Newcastle are starting to find a bit of rhythm in this strange season where their form has been wildly up and down, even at St. James’ Park. If the Magpies choose to control possession at home, they could get blasted on the break by Forest’s fleet-footed counterattackers.
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GEAR
👕 Adidas and Bayern Munich are out with a collection marking the club’s 125th anniversary. I like the rich red of the kit, but the track jacket (and pants!) might take the cake.
⚽︎ In honor of the aforementioned Shamrock Rovers, here’s a 1992-93 home kit for the Dublin club. The black #4 on the back is grand!⚽︎