‘They will wipe the floor with them’ - BBC pundit says Liverpool have ‘no chance’ ahead of Man City clash

Liverpool go into this Sunday’s match with Manchester City currently sitting 13 points behind the Premier League champions.

Ahead of the match, many pundits are saying that Liverpool’s slim chances of still mounting a title challenge will depend on them taking maximum points from the match. If they can’t then Pep Guardiola’s side will widen the gap even further while current league leaders Arsenal could also be out of sight even at this early stage in the campaign. It’s an opinion echoed by Premier League winning striker Chris Sutton in his weekly predictions column for the BBC.

The former Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea and Aston Villa forward believes that Liverpool have ‘no chance’ of winning the match and that City will ‘wipe the floor with them’. He wrote: “It is hard to make a case for Liverpool still being in the title race anyway, but if City go to Anfield and win then it really is all over for Jurgen Klopp’s side; they would have no chance. City will know that, and they know they could land a knockout blow. Erling Haaland was rested in midweek so he will be ready - and I think City are that good, they will wipe the floor with them. Liverpool’s high line has been causing them problems anyway - Rangers were able to get at them in the first half on Wednesday - so they would have to be very brave to try that against Haaland.”

Sutton, who is predicting a 4-1 victory for the visitors, added: “They might still create opportunities, because of the way City are set up, but when you look at both teams, City are just too good. Pep Guardiola’s side scored four at Anfield in February 2021, and I think they will match that. I almost went for them to get five, which City last managed there in 1937, but either way this will be a walloping.”

The pundit goes up against a celebrity guest in his weekly prediction column and this week he was facing musician Ian Broudie, a Liverpool supporter. The life-long fan from a family of Anfield season ticket holders made a rather different prediction to Sutton, perhaps a bit tongue-in-cheek, and wrote: “It would be great if we can get something but because of where we are it’s kind of irrelevant - I don’t feel like we are challenging for the league. This scoreline is obviously wishful thinking, but more than anything I want us to play well and start to bed in. If things do click, you never know - Liverpool on their day are a bit of a wild card - but if this is the final score I am done with football! 9-0”