Liverpool have beaten Man City at the Etihad just TWICE under Jurgen Klopp... but can they buck that trend? Reds need to learn from champions' slip-ups and rely on the cavalry from the bench to go top of the Premier League

Liverpool's crunch visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday could turn out to be one of the most important fixtures in the Red's calendar this season. 

Sitting just a point behind Man City in second place the Merseyside outfit have a chance to steal points off Pep Guardiola's side and slow them down as they target their fourth consecutive Premier League title. 

But they'll have to do it at the Etihad, a place that Liverpool have struggled at in the past, winning just twice in the last 20 years in all competitions. 

The game has been re-scheduled to a lunchtime kick-off, a decision that has previously caught the fury of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. 

'How can you put a game like this on Saturday at 12.30pm?,' fumed the Liverpool boss.

'Honestly, the people making the decisions, they cannot feel football. It is just not possible. This is the moment the world pays the most to see a football game.' 

The fixture was recently re-scheduled from a 5.30pm kick-off time due to police concerns over fan safety, with this being the fourth time this season that Liverpool have played in the 12.30pm kick-off. 

And Liverpool's record under Klopp in this fixture slot is also one that leaves a fair bit to be desired, with the Reds having won 18 out of the 37 Saturday lunchtime matches under the German - a 48 per cent winning record. 

While Liverpool have held City to several draws at the Etihad, the tide is certainly against them, with Guardiola's team going unbeaten at home so far in 2023.  

Their last meeting at the Etihad came at the end of the 2022-23 season, where Liverpool were beaten 4-1 by the Premier League champions, with Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish all finding the back of the net. 

Meanwhile, you have to go back as far as five years to find Liverpool's last victory at the Etihad. The visitors secured their passage to the Champions League semi-finals that day with a 2-1 win against City in 2018 - before going on to be beaten by Real Madrid in the final of the tournament.  

Their only other win at the Etihad under Klopp came in 2015, a month after the German took charge at the club, where City were thumped 4-1 by Liverpool in the Premier League. 

It's a far cry from their record at Anfield against City, with Liverpool winning seven of their 12 meetings against City at home under Klopp, who also notably holds the accolade of having beaten Guardiola the most of any other manager in football, with 12 wins against his Spanish counterpart. 

While Klopp seems to be the Spaniard's kryptonite, Liverpool will have their work cut out to claim three points - so how can they get a result against City on Saturday? 

Take stock of Arsenal, Wolves and Chelsea   

City have lost twice this season in the Premier League to Arsenal and Wolves, with Chelsea coming back late on to rescue a dramatic 4-4 draw against the Cityzens two weeks ago. 

While none of those games came at the Etihad, there's plenty for Klopp to learn from - particularly City's game against Wolves. 

The Cityzens had 68 per cent ball possession, 23 attempts and a higher expected goals tally than Wolves, who dissimilarly had only one shot on target. But their game plan to hit City on the counter could not have been executed any better, with Wolves making good their opportunities, capitalising on an own goal before Hwang Hee-Chan scored the winner in the second half. 

One of Liverpool's best attributes under Klopp is their ruthlessness' on the counter, unleashing Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez and hitting teams at lightning speed on the break. It's something we've seen time-and-time again with Liverpool, who can really hurt Man City with their speed on the break.

Deploying a high press may also be pivotal against Man City on Saturday. Arsenal and Chelsea both had success against City, forcing Guardiola's side to initiate attacks closer to their own goal line - with Arsenal pushing City back to their goal line more than any other team has done this season, according to Opta Analyst. 

Chelsea, also according to Opta, broke up City's passing play and limited them to fewer open-play passing sequences, more than any other side has done during the 2023-24 campaign. By utilising a high press, Liverpool can prevent City getting the ball forward to their attackers but also win the ball back and mount dangerous attacks from advantageous positions,  

A new look Liverpool side 

And part of that high press may be helped by Liverpool's refreshed midfield.  

Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo have all impressed through the middle of the pitch this season.

While they will likely miss Ryan Gravenberch on Saturday through injury, Klopp can take advantage of the younger midfielders he has at his disposal to cut out City's attacks coming through the middle.

Trent Alexander-Arnold could also drop into his hybrid role in front of defence and Liverpool can use him to spread the play or drop the ball in behind Man City's defence, with his excellent ball playing abilities. 

But Klopp will need to be weary not to over use him in this position, especially considering the threat City have on the wings, with Guardiola able to deploy Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish or Phil Foden on the left win. 

Giving Nunez options and bringing on the cavalry 

Darwin Nunez currently has four goals in 12 appearances this season for Liverpool. Following his arrival at Anfield in 2022, Nunez has impressed but has not quite scored as many goals as his manager may have liked. 

Despite that he is certainly showing he's adapting to the pace of Premier League and could be pivotal on Saturday. 

The 24-year-old is a raw talent and possesses bags of potential. Perhaps it will take a few more goals for him to find his feet and hit red hot form, but Liverpool need to keep giving him opportunities to score. 

Despite having two goals ruled out for offside during their 3-0 win against Brentford, Nunez looked dangerous and when given the ball, he caused some big problems for Thomas Frank's side - he'll be one player Man City's defenders will need to try to control on Saturday.

Likewise, the timing of Klopp's substitutions may also be crucial during the match. As we've seen during Liverpool's Europa League campaign this season, he has a wealth of young players who can come on to change the game and potentially torture tired Man City defenders late on. 

One player he could call upon is Luis Diaz, who has seemed to pick up some form of late, rescuing Liverpool during their 1-1 draw against Luton, before scoring two late goals to help Colombia come back to secure a 2-1 victory against Brazil. 

Particularly noting his knack for scoring late goals, Klopp can utilise the 26-year-old off the bench to help Liverpool keep pressing on City right till the end.

Nullifying Haaland... if he plays  

Virgil van Dijk has seriously impressed of late but Saturday's game could see the Dutch international come up against Erling Haaland, a battle of two Premier League goliaths. 

While that will be a mouthwatering encounter to watch, there are some doubts over the Norwegian striker's fitness and it remains to be seen if he will play, having suffered an ankle injury during Norway's 2-0 win against Faroe Islands last week. 

If he is ruled out of the game, his absence will come as a big blow for Guardiola's side, but Liverpool will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief. 

Despite that, there is a chance he could still play, and if he does, Van Dijk will need to be on top form to inhibit the 6ft 3in striker, who has 17 goals in 18 appearances across all competitions this season. 

The centre-back has admitted he had a mediocre 2022-23 season, but this year has been brilliant at the back for Liverpool. He can utilise his physical attributes and composure in defence to make things difficult for Haaland on Saturday.