Liverpool vs. Man City: Key Stats Ahead of Premier League Match

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola follows the Champions League, group G match between FC Copenhagen and Manchester City, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Oct.11, 2022. (AP)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola follows the Champions League, group G match between FC Copenhagen and Manchester City, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Oct.11, 2022. (AP)
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Liverpool vs. Man City: Key Stats Ahead of Premier League Match

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola follows the Champions League, group G match between FC Copenhagen and Manchester City, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Oct.11, 2022. (AP)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola follows the Champions League, group G match between FC Copenhagen and Manchester City, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Oct.11, 2022. (AP)

The following are key statistics ahead of Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield, provided by Nielsen Gracenote.

Champions City are second in the table with 23 points, a point behind Arsenal, while Liverpool are 10th with 10 points.

Key stats
* City have won four league titles since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016 while Liverpool have won only one despite losing fewer games in that period.

* Guardiola's City (2.36) and Juergen Klopp's Liverpool (2.19) are the only two Premier League teams to average at least two points per game since the start of the 2016-17 season. The next best club is Chelsea (1.94).

* City have scored 80 more goals and conceded 24 fewer than Liverpool since Guardiola took charge at the club.

* The average age of Liverpool's starting lineup is over 28 years old -- the oldest since Klopp took charge. The average age was just over 25 in the 2015-16 season.

* Liverpool have 12 points fewer in eight games than they took in comparable fixtures last season while City have three points more in nine games.

* Liverpool have conceded the first goal in six of their eight matches this season, winning only one and drawing three of those. Last season they won four and drew two after conceding the first goal in the last six matches they went behind.

* Guardiola's City have taken only five points out of a possible 18 at Anfield but have not lost there since Liverpool won the league in 2019-20 (W1 D1).

* Liverpool have lost four times to Guardiola's City in the Premier League -- more than against any other team.



Premier League Rejects City Request to Delay Next Season’s Games after Club World Cup

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
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Premier League Rejects City Request to Delay Next Season’s Games after Club World Cup

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)

The Premier League has rejected Manchester City's request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the US, the club's manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League's season will begin in August.

An increasingly packed football calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players' union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.

The Premier League did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

City midfielder Rodri said in September that players could be close to strike action over the time they are required to play. A knee ligament injury has since put him out for the season.

"I don’t know if we will play more games than the treble year (2022-23)... maybe we'll play less games," Guardiola told reporters.

"The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don't postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?"

He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.