Liverpool vs. Norwich City
Venue: Anfield
Kick Off: 4PM
Two teams at opposite ends of the Premier League table meet this afternoon when title-chasing Liverpool welcome relegation-threatened Norwich City to Anfield.
The Reds come into the match still unbeaten in all competitions this calendar year, but face a Norwich side whose survival hopes have been significantly boosted in recent weeks.
The relentless pace set by Manchester City means that every Premier League game is effectively a must-win one for Liverpool right now, and particularly home games against struggling opposition.
Today will be the first time in 2022 that Jurgen Klopp’s men have played before Pep Guardiola’s side in the league, giving them the chance to crank up the pressure ever so slightly ahead of Man City’s match against Tottenham Hotspur in today’s evening kickoff.
The Reds may be hopeful of a favour from a Spurs side that has already beaten Man City this season, but first they must hold up their end of the bargain to close the gap on the leaders to six points – if only temporarily.
Liverpool’s game in hand, as well as the fact that they still have to face Man City, offer them hope in the title race, but they will know that they can ill-afford any slip-ups against the likes of Norwich, whom Man City hammered 4-0 at Carrow Road just last weekend.
The form book does not show many signs of such a slip-up, though; Liverpool are unbeaten in their 10 matches across all competitions since the turn of the year, winning eight of those including all of the last seven in a row.
Those wins have not all come with the same style and panache that has become a hallmark of Klopp’s Liverpool, most notably their 1-0 win at Burnley in their last Premier League match.
The points from those scrappy wins are no less valuable, though, and since that battling display at Turf Moor the Reds have also won away to Italian champions Inter Milan.
A 2-0 win at San Siro on Wednesday – secured through late goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah with Liverpool’s only two shots on target throughout the game – have put Liverpool in control of their last-16 tie, keeping them well in the hunt for all four trophies this season.
The Reds cannot afford to let their minds begin to drift towards the first of those – an EFL Cup final with Chelsea at the end of the month – just yet, and despite being firm favourites for Saturday’s match, Klopp will not allow them to underestimate an improving Norwich side.
For much of the season Norwich have been regarded by many as sure-fire relegation fodder, but seven points from the last 12 on offer have catapulted them off the bottom of the table and up to 18th.
Four points still separate them from safety, and they have played more games than all of the teams around them in the table, but recent victories over Everton and Watford – doubling their tally of wins for the season – have at least offered a serious glimmer of hope.
The 3-0 Watford win was particularly remarkable for a number of reasons, not least as it accounted for half of their measly six-goal tally away from home this season, although they are still the division’s lowest scorers this season with just 14 from their 24 games – not ideal when coming up against a side on a run of three clean sheets in a row.
It also gives Norwich the chance to win back-to-back Premier League away games for the first time in more than a decade, although achieving that at Anfield would take a seismic shock considering the Reds are unbeaten in their last 15 home league games, winning the last six in a row by an aggregate score of 17-1.
Norwich themselves have only won one of their last 12 league visits to Anfield, with that coming all the way back in 1994, while they have also won just one of their last 25 away top-flight games against teams in the top three of the table.
However, across all competitions Norwich have now won three of their last four away games, so there are signs of improvement on the road for the Canaries, and they will be hoping to take full advantage of any European hangover for Liverpool on Merseyside this weekend.
Liverpool possible XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Keita, Salah, Firmino, Diaz.
Norwich City possible XI: Gunn, Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams, Gilmour, Lees-Melou, McLean, Sargent, Pukki, Rashica.
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