Premier League Big Match Focus: How to back an 11/2 Bet Builder in Man City v Liverpool

• Winners go top

• Salah and Haaland do battle

• Read about Betfair's 90 Minute Payout offer here

• Claim your completely free Acca or Bet Builder here!

Manchester City v Liverpool
Saturday, 12:30
Sky Sports Main Event

The Premier League returns with a bang on Saturday, with first taking on second in a huge match at the Etihad Stadium.

Reigning champions Manchester City saw their lead cut to just one point after the last round of fixtures. Liverpool and Arsenal both secured home victories before Pep Guardiola's side were denied a win on the road at former City youngster Cole Palmer scored a last-gasp equaliser for Chelsea.

Liverpool are just ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, and victory in Saturday's early game would see them move to the top of the pile.

The two teams exchanged victories in the Premier League last season, though Liverpool took the lead in both games. That was enough for a 1-0 win at Anfield, but City battled back for a 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture during the run-in.

All about stopping the scorers

Erling Haaland needs just one more goal to bring up a half-century in the Premier League after his brace at Chelsea last time out. If he manages it, he would become the quickest player to reach the milestone in the competition, with former Newcastle and Manchester United star Andrew Cole holding the record (65 appearances) and Haaland looking to get there in just 48.

The Norway striker missed the last meeting between the sides through injury, and faces a race to be fit after picking up a problem during the international break.

While this means he's yet to score a Premier League goal against Liverpool, he scored against them for City in last season's EFL Cup and for Red Bull Salzburg in the 2019-20 Champions League.

On the other end of the scale, Mohamed Salah scored in each of his four appearances against City in 2022-23, including the Community Shield. The Egypt star needs just two goals to bring up 200 for his club, and is 9/43.25 to net at any time and 13/114.00 to bag a brace.

City's defensive concerns

As he chases his personal milestone, Salah will also be aware of the fact that he already has 11 goals in all competitions against Saturdays opponents. Manchester United are the only club against whom he has scored more, but even a goal on Saturday might not be enough to dent City's run of 23 straight home wins.

The biggest concern for the hosts will come at the back, with John Stones' injury-enforced absence felt keenly last time out. City went into last weekend's game with the best defensive record in the league, but dropped below Liverpool and Arsenal in that metric after conceding four or more goals in one game for the first time since 2020.

If City win this weekend, they'll have matched Sunderland's record for the most consecutive home wins from a top-flight English team. That record has stood for more than a century, and Guardiola's team are 8/131.61 to draw level with the Black Cats.

Manchester City v Liverpool prediction

Liverpool have lost just one of their last 23 league games, with that reverse coming after they went down to nine men at Tottenham, but their record against City still makes for worrying reading. While Klopp's team have picked up home results against their erstwhile title rivals, they have just one win from their last 14 trips to the Etihad Stadium and none since Guardiola took the reins in Manchester.

Their last victory in the fixture was also Klopp's first game away to City. On that occasion, the Reds claimed a dominant 4-1 victory with three of their goals coming in the opening 35 minutes.

This weekend, Betfair has an entirely free Acca or Bet Builder. You can opt in here to take advantage.

Our eyes are on the Bet Builder market, where you can back more than 2.5 goals, Salah 2+ shots on target and Salah to score any time at 13/27.50. We've also got a bonus Bet Builder, with Haaland to score anytime and Salah to score anytime available at 9/25.50.

Check out Alex Boyes' Premier League Stats Tips here...

Football... Only Bettor. Watch the latest episode now.