Sky Blue News: Pre-match Predictions, Konate Out?, Klopp Talks, and More...

Happy Matchday Morning!!! Manchester City are on the road at Anfield, and Sky Blue News is here with all the latest news to get you ready for the Merseyside Reds v the Manchester Blues.

Liverpool vs Manchester City: Predictions, tips & betting odds - Peter McVitie - Goal.com

A predictions piece complete with betting odds and reasons to back each side to win.

Liverpool are in dire need of a victory when they welcome the Premier League champions to Anfield.

The Reds have some nasty injury problems hindering them heading into this game though.

Luis Diaz has been ruled out for some time, Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered an injury against Arsenal and could miss Sunday’s match, while Arthur and Ibrahima Konate are out.

City have not lost in the Premier League or Champions League all season and will be confident heading into this one.

However, their last defeat came at the hands of Sunday’s opponents in the Community Shield, so Pep Guardiola will be demanding his players not get cocky or complacent.

That loss was before Haaland hit top form, though, and the striker will be hoping to maintain his awesome scoring streak by firing in more against Liverpool.

Jamie Carragher makes Liverpool v Manchester City prediction as Gary Neville previews Premier League clash - Louis Sealy - Metro

Carragher gives his prognosis on the outcome at Anfield.

The Reds have won just two of their opening eight league games to slip to 11th, four points above the relegation zone.

Manchester City, meanwhile, are the only unbeaten team yet in the English top-flight, although they remain one point behind early Premier League leaders Arsenal.

‘I don’t expect Liverpool to take a backward step – it’s not their style,’ Carragher told Sky Sports when asked for his prediction.

‘They’re at Anfield so I expect to use the crowd and be really aggressive and make it as difficult as they can for Manchester City. I think it will be a tough game for both.

‘Manchester City don’t have a great record at Anfield but Liverpool are up against the best team in the world. I think it will be a great game and a draw again – 1-1 or 2-2 like last season.’

Report: Ibrahima Konate is a doubt for Liverpool v Manchester City - Shamanth Jayaram - The Boot Room

The Reds could be in a defencive crisis if Konate can’t go.

Liverpool have had a shocking season so far.

They’ve won just twice in the Premier League all campaign and are already 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal. Many feel the Reds are already out of the title chance, but a win tomorrow could really spark a comeback.

However, with Konate now a doubt for the game after Matip, Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz have all been ruled out already, it’s difficult to see how the Reds will cope with Erling Haaland and company.

It will be interesting to see what Klopp will do if Konate is declared unfit for the game tomorrow.

Liverpool FC face defensive injury worry ahead of Man City fixture - Isaac Johnson - Manchester Evening News

Konate is already in for the injured Matip.

The struggling hosts are facing a defensive injury crisis with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip both injured. After missing the start of the season with a knee injury, Konate returned to action as a substitute in last weekend’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal.

He made his first start of the campaign in Liverpool’s 7-1 Champions League thrashing of Rangers on Wednesday but is said to be facing another muscular problem ahead of Sunday’s meeting with City.

The Liverpool Echo reports that the Frenchman is a doubt for the game although, for now, is still in contention to feature. It adds that Konate missed Friday’s training session albeit the club says this was already scheduled in order to allow extra recovery time amid his recent return from injury.

Liverpool will wait to see how the problem settles before making a final decision. He was due to undergo an assessment on Saturday but Jurgen Klopp is thought not ready to risk him if there is a concern about his fitness given his two-month absence at the start of the season.

Jurgen Klopp Scores Another Own Goal with Manchester City Criticism - Emmanuel Odey - Bitter and Blue

Klopp still can’t come to terms with the fact that the team he agreed to manage doesn’t seem to have the budget of some of its rivals.

The German has formed a habit of playing holier than thou to garner sympathy, painting Manchester City and a few other clubs like Paris Saint Germain and newly bought Newcastle United as the bad guys ruining the game, while his and other teams have to put up with the evil because there’s nothing they can do about it.

Speaking when questioned about the fortunes of Man City and Liverpool this season, the German used Erling Haaland as a case to buttress his point that City spend without limit. That they were able to buy the best striker in the market even when they already have a superb team as a result. That’s despite the glaring fact that Liverpool spent more on Darwin Nunez than City did on Haaland.

He made a case for why his team cannot compete claiming that City have unlimited resources while other clubs like Liverpool don’t.

“You will not like the answer, and you all have the answer already,” Klopp stated.

“Nobody can compete with City. You have the best team in the world, and you put in the best striker on the market.

“No matter what it costs, they just do it. I know City will not like it, nobody will like it. Liverpool cannot act like them. It’s not possible.

“It’s just clear. There are three clubs in world football that can do what they want, financially. It’s legal and everything, fine. But it’s a fact.

Every word Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said in his ‘no ceiling’ Man City rant - Jamie Kemble - Manchester World

Cry more Jurgen.

Klopp’s Liverpool have been a dominant force, along with Manchester City, over recent years, winning a Premier League and a Champions League among other honours.

But they have suffered a disappointing start to this season, already 13 points behind City and 14 behind leaders Arsenal. Injury issues have plagued Liverpool early in the season, but the Reds were also outspent by the likes of City and Newcastle United, who are able to draw upon huge budgets due to backing from the Middle East.

Of course, there are financial controls in place to prevent overspending, but once teams figure out a way to efficiently maximise profit, those controls can quickly become a box-ticking exercise, with the Premier League restrictions more relaxed than those exercised by La Liga and other competitions. Now, Liverpool are also well-backed, owned by Fenway Sports Group, who are worth around £8.9billion.

In fact, Liverpool spent a record figure on striker Darwin Nunez in the summer, with the deal likely to rise to around £87million. But the Reds are not able to keep up with City, or indeed Newcastle, financially.

Manchester City Women v Leicester City Women: Preview, Team News and Prediction - Manc Pete - Bitter and Blue

And finally... Pete has a look at what is a must-win match for Garreth Taylor.

Manchester City Women welcome Leicester City to the Academy Stadium in their first home game of the season. The blues lost their opening two matches at Aston Villa and Chelsea and are desperate for their first three points of the season. They face a Leicester side who have lost their first three matches, and if there’s a loser, that team could well end up bottom of the WSL by Sunday evening.

Preview

City found themselves 2-0 down to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, before rallying to lead 3-2. The blues then threw their lead away by conceding two goals which lead to an opening day defeat, before losing lost 2-0 at Chelsea after a spirited performance at Kingsmeadow.

Leicester were beaten 2-1 at home to Spurs on the opening day, and followed that up with a 2-0 home loss to Villa and a 1-0 defeat at Everton, to make Sunday’s clash the battle at the bottom

There you have it Cityzens. Stay with us here at Bitter and Blue for all the latest from both the Men’s and Women’s matches. And be sure to follow @BitterandBlue1 on Twitter for all the latest.