No longer a title-decider as free-scoring Man City look to slay Liverpool

OF THE dozens of football matches set to take place across Europe this weekend, there are two standout fixtures - both on Sunday night - that will captivate fans from all over the world. In the English Premier League (EPL), the two most successful teams in recent years are set to write the next chapter of their glorious rivalry, as the defending champions Manchester City head to Anfield to meet a Liverpool team that is almost surely out of contention for the title even at this early stage of the season.

And the top two clubs in La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona, tangle in what should be another fiery El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. They are both deadlocked on 22 points after eight games, with Barcelona in first place by virtue of their superior goal difference.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Sunday 10.15 pm kick-off, Singapore time)

Barcelona’s water-tight defence has only been punctured once all season in La Liga, and that was in a 4-1 away win over Real Sociedad back in August. A run of seven clean sheets in eight matches mean the Catalan club is top of the table, but manager Xavi Hernandez would have been concerned by the numerous errors by his backline on Wednesday as Inter-Milan punished them in a 3-3 draw in the Champions League.

The Italians were on their way to a famous victory, but Barcelona had Robert Lewandowski to thank as his injury-time equaliser ensured a share of the spoils.

Barcelona will have to shake off the cobwebs fast if they want to replicate their last El Clasico result, a remarkable 4-0 thrashing over Real in March. That was their first win over their arch-rivals since 2019, although one gets the sense the outcome won’t be as one-sided this Sunday.

Real Madrid have yet to taste defeat in 13 matches in all competitions this season, and they were very lucky not to experience their first loss in midweek when they salvaged a draw against Shahktar Donetsk in the Champions League courtesy of defender Antonio Rudiger’s last-gasp header.

Real’s speedy winger Vinicius Jr didn’t play in Warsaw, so the Brazilian will be fresh and fired up to play a starring role in this high-profile spectacle, especially with main striker Karim Benzema not at his best form of late.

Los Blancos (Real’s nickname) are surely out for revenge to atone for that debacle in March, and they know that a win of any sort will take them above Barcelona and cement their status as firm favourites to retain their La Liga crown.

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Liverpool vs Man City (Sunday 11.30 pm)

The main question on the minds of many Liverpool fans is which version of their team will show up on Sunday. Will it be the swashbuckling, merciless side that blasted seven goals past Rangers in the Champions League in midweek, or the team that picked up just a solitary point in successive league games against Brighton and Arsenal? 

The supporters will be hoping it’s the former. The reality is that an injury-hit Liverpool will need all the firepower and luck to get anything from the visit of EPL champions Manchester City, a team that are 13 points ahead of the Reds.

City are in devastating form this season, largely because of a man named Erling Haaland, the red-hot Norwegian striker who is breaking one record after another with his logic-defying goalscoring exploits since his 60 million-euro (S$83.9 million) transfer from Borussia Dortmund.

The 22-year-old has been involved in City’s all nine EPL games, and already owns the record for most goals (15) and most goal involvements (18 goals and assists) in a player’s first 10 appearances in the league’s 30-year history.

In comparison, the most goals a player has scored over any 10-game stretch in the EPL is 16, by Luis Suarez for Liverpool between October and December 2013.

And it’s not just Haaland who is rattling in the goals for City. The likes of Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez have also scored regularly of late, and Liverpool’s defenders are in for what will surely be a busy 90 minutes trying to keep all of them at bay.

Liverpool’s big summer recruit Darwin Nunez, who arrived from Portuguese side Benfica for 75 million euros has not made as big an impact as Haaland, but the 23-year-old Uruguayan has overcome a difficult start to life in England - he missed three games due to suspension - to score thrice in five games in all competitions.

While all signs point to City continuing their dominant run, there is that magical Anfield factor that could make all the difference in giving Liverpool that extra spark in this explosive fixture. It’s hard to see this game finishing goalless, and a high-scoring draw seems a likely outcome.