Manchester City v Liverpool Betting – Mouthwatering Boxing Day Clash From The Etihad

[quote_box_center]Luis Suarez has hit 10 goals in his last 4 games. Will he terrorise City? Get your bets on at Sky Bet (£30 free) [/quote_box_center]

Manchester City v Liverpool

Thursday 26^th December. 5:30PM. BT Sport 1.

Two of the Premier League’s title-chasers come face-to-face at the Etihad for what should be a Boxing Day cracker as Manchester City host Liverpool.

Aguero Still Injured

Unfortunately for the neutrals, both sides are missing key players for this pivotal encounter.

Aguero (13 league goals) and Sturridge (9 league goals) remain sidelined for their respective clubs whilst Liverpool skipper Gerrard also misses out. On the bright side, both managers can rely on other sources to get the goals as a wealth of talent will still be on display.

With Suarez, Toure, Negredo, Coutinho and plenty of others on show this encounter should not be short of excitement. More goals have been scored at the Etihad than any other Premier League ground this campaign and the neutrals will be praying for more of the same on Thursday.

These two are by far the highest scorers in the league, sharing 93 strikes between them already. Liverpool are on a run of four consecutive victories, whilst City have yet to drop a point at home all season.

It should be a footballing feast.

Toure V Toure

[quote_right]Match Odds:
Manchester City 4/5
Draw 11/4
Liverpool 10/3
Bet now at Sky Bet [/quote_right]One of the big talking points will inevitably be the clash between Ivorian brothers Yaya and Kolo.

Older brother Kolo returns to Manchester for the first time since his summer switch to Merseyside and nobody could argue that his time at Anfield has been a roaring success so far. The central defender has filled the void left by Jamie Carragher’s retirement superbly and is definitely a candidate for being the best free signing of the season.

Yaya, the younger sibling, continues to assert himself as arguably the division’s best central midfielder with a physical dominance that sees him regularly excel at both ends of the pitch.

Since joining in 2010, the number 42 has been a catalyst in all of City’s success and this year he has added another string to his bow by becoming a free-kick magician. Nine league goals in 17 matches is a fantastic record for any midfielder and even at this premature stage it seems as though the Ivorian will be a dead cert for the Premier League Team Of The Year.

The chant about the siblings has swept the nation, becoming a phenomenon even amongst non-football fans. Hopefully the brothers will produce a contest that’s equally entertaining.

Manchester City v Liverpool Betting Tips

Liverpool’s impressive first half of the campaign means that, despite their exceptional home form, City are priced at a generous 4/5 with Bet365. Meanwhile the same bookmakers offer the draw at 3/1 and Liverpool at 7/2.

He might have scored an exceptional 19 in 12 appearances this season but Luis Suarez barely had a touch at the Emirates and, with Gerrard and Sturridge still both missing, the Uruguayan might be set for a repeat in Manchester. It’s worth remembering that 14 of those goals have come at Anfield and he also fired a blank at Old Trafford in the League Cup.

City have decimated everyone that’s visited the Etihad. Both Arsenal and Manchester United were beaten by three goals whilst Tottenham were embarrassingly spanked 6-0 as City have won all eight home league encounters by a minimum of two goals.

As good as Liverpool have been, it’s hard to see them getting anything at the Etihad. The depth in City’s squad means that they can adapt to the loss of Aguero far easier than the Reds can without Sturridge and Gerrard.

Manchester City half time / full time is a tasty 9/5 with Bet Victor whilst City -1.5 is 37/20 with Bet 365. Both are definitely worth considering.

Once again Betfred are offering a DD/HH promotion on this game. With his ability to take free-kicks, along with the fact he is designated as his club’s penalty taker in the absence of Aguero, Yaya Toure at 8/1 is a very decent price. If he does score first, you certainly wouldn’t back against him doubling his tally (and your money).