Fine margins as City, Liverpool wade into title-race finale

March 31, 2022
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The final international break is over. The remaining games are right there in front of them. The starting gun is about to be fired on another sprint to the line between Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League.

Saturday marks the beginning of a six-week fight for the title between two teams that have dominated English soccer over the past five years and set a new bar when it comes to what’s required to win the league.

And here they are again, back as the top two and separated by just one point with nine matches to go — one of which sees them face each other in what could be the defining match of the season.

City, the defending champion, holds the lead — as it has done since the end of December — but an advantage that was as large as 14 points in mid-January, when Liverpool had games in hand, has shrunk to such an extent that Jurgen Klopp’s team might be some people’s favorites.

Liverpool has fewer losses — two — and is on a nine-match winning run in the league. Heading into April, Liverpool has already won the League Cup and is still alive in the FA Cup and the Champions League.

The unprecedented quadruple, amazingly, remains on.

“They are always there,” City manager Pep Guardiola said recently. “A pain … all the time.”

Klopp surely feels the same about City.

After all, City has won three of the last four league titles — and five of the last 10 — and has pedigree in mounting strong finishes. Their players know how to finish the job off.

Crucially, City has home advantage in its April 10 showdown with Liverpool at Etihad Stadium. Avoid defeat and few would be surprised if Guardiola’s team wins its other matches.

It promises to be a riveting finale between two closely matched teams. Here’s a look at some of the big questions in the title race:

WHO HAS THE BETTER SCHEDULE?

City, by a nose. Apart from the visit of Liverpool, City doesn’t play another team in the current top six. Its toughest other match looks to be at West Ham on the next-to-last weekend. That comes three days before the final of the Europa League, a competition West Ham is still involved in. City’s last game is at home to Aston Villa, which is managed by Liverpool great Steven Gerrard. Liverpool still has to play Manchester United and Tottenham, though both of those games are at home. The Reds might need to win all of their remaining league games, which — given they are already on a nine-match winning run — would mark an unprecedented streak of top-flight victories.