Rafa Benitez comments on Liverpool vs Manchester City title race

Benitez
Benitez

Liverpool will take on Champions Manchester City in the Premier League clash on Sunday at Anfield.

The Reds are unbeaten in the Premier League, having won 10 of the 11 matches this season. City are second in the table with 25 points, six points behind them.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won five of their last sixR Premier League games, and this fixture promises to be a cracker. Former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez believes that the Reds are favourites to win the title this season.

The Spaniard, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, said that the Reds have got enough quality in their side to finally land the Premier League title.

However, he suggests that City are capable of beating them. He rightly points out that City have the experience of winning the league, and they are used to being at the top.

Last season, Liverpool lost the Premier League title to City by just a single point. However, Klopp’s side now have the experience to deal with pressure, which makes the fixture more intriguing to watch.

“Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and they are favourites to win the title. It has been a long time coming,” Benitez wrote for the Athletic.

“Jurgen Klopp’s side have the intensity, they have the quality, they can play counter-attack or they can sustain their attacking. They have a lot of very good players and they’re extremely competitive, but nothing is guaranteed just yet.

“Sometimes a title can depend on one game and sometimes it can depend on a single moment in one game, so imagine what might happen if Manchester City beat Liverpool this weekend. Pep Guardiola’s team would then be so close. The media would be asking questions — can they do it, will they do it, are they feeling the pressure, can they cope with it? — and it will build up and build up. 

“After last year, Liverpool have more experience and that’s always a positive, but City have grown used to being at the top. They know what it takes to win. They also have fantastic talent. What Liverpool possess is the advantage and they certainly have the potential to go one step further, but this is football and it’s far too early to talk about what will happen in May. Nothing is definitive in November.”

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