Mark Lawrenson has finally predicted a Liverpool loss in his BBC predictions.
The former Reds defender has been trying to guess the results of every Premier League game for a number of years now, and it’s fair to say that he’s been a little biased.
Lawrenson hasn’t predicted a Liverpool loss since the final day of the 2015/16 season, a game in which they drew against West Brom.
Since then 1,638 days have passed, that’s 53 months worth of Premier League football in which Lawrenson hasn’t expected Liverpool to lose, but he doesn’t think they’ll get anything at the Etihad on Sunday.
Indeed, the pundit has tipped Manchester City to win 2-0 against the Reds, and he believes that the Merseysiders’ defensive injury crisis will condemn them to defeat.
“At the back, if Joel Matip is fit I would pair him with Joe Gomez. Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams have done well – against West Ham and Atalanta respectively – but this is a very different game, with far more pressure involved and against a much better side,” Lawrenson wrote.
“Whoever Klopp goes with, it is not a good time for them to be going to the Etihad while they are trying to build a new partnership because any mistake they make will be pounced upon.
“That’s why I am going for City to win. Liverpool are going into this round of fixtures on top of the table so there is no suggestion they are struggling – it is just they are not at their very best at the moment.”
Lawrenson’s word obviously isn’t gospel, but this is concerning for any Liverpool fan.
The fact that a man who hasn’t tipped the Reds to lose in over four years is expecting them to get beat on Sunday doesn’t bode well for them, and his reasoning does make a lot of sense.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are undoubtedly a weaker defensive unit without Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho, but at the same time, they haven’t struggled all that much without them so far.
They’re coming off the back of a 5-0 win in the Champions League, and they sit at the top of the Premier League prior to this weekend’s fixtures, so they still have a great chance of beating Pep Guardiola’s side.
The game at the Etihad should certainly be a cracking fixture.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
