Man City vs Liverpool – Hodgson to suffer first Reds defeat
Published:Manchester City might not have been the team to end the four-year dominance of the Big Four but they did enjoy five victories over the established elite last season, conquering Chelsea and Arsenal twice and Manchester United once in the Carling Cup.
Oddly, the ones that they couldn’t get the better of were the weakest of the bunch in 2009/10, Liverpool. Both Premier League encounters between the duo finished level, 2-2 at Anfield and 0-0 at Eastlands, and a fourth in succession is 9/4.
The Citizens haven’t beaten Liverpool since April 2005, when Kiki Musampa struck late on, while they managed just one 90-minute win in six meetings with Roy Hodgson while he was in charge of Fulham. Despite that, the home victory is well worth considering at 11/8.
This is a first competitive outing in front of the Manchester City fans for all the new signings, including Mario Balotelli, their match-winner in the Europa League on Thursday, and James Milner.
Roberto Mancini’s men are also yet to concede in their two games to date, and haven’t shipped in their home opener in any of the last five campaigns, so the 7/4 on them keeping a clean sheet is also a tempting option.
Carlos Tevez struck 29 times last season and, having opened his 2008/09 account for rivals Manchester United against Liverpool, is the unsurprising 9/2 market leader in the first goalscorer betting.
Liverpool are 2/1 having won just one domestic away match in 2010. See the full Manchester City vs Liverpool Match Betting Odds market.
