da heads bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da premier bet： Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has stated that Manchester City are still the favourites for the Premier League title, despite Liverpool sitting top and six points clear.
What did he say?
City are battling with the Reds once again, having just pipped them by a point to the league title last year. However, the European champions have continued their breathtaking form from last season and remain the only unbeaten side in the division.
Although, despite proving to be the dominant force so far, Merson still believes the champions are the favourites to keep the trophy. He told Sky Sports (as cited by the Daily Express): “It was a big result against Tottenham having also come back against Man Utd to draw 1-1.
“They were also behind against Tottenham and on their day and when they’ve got all their players fit, Spurs are a good team, but Liverpool came back there again.
“That’s four points they’ve won from behind in two hard games so they’re ticking the boxes of champions at the moment.
“But it’s still in Man City’s hands because if they beat Liverpool twice, they’ll win the league and that’s how good this Man City team is as well.
“For me, if I was Liverpool and drew at home to Man City in a few weeks, I’d be doing cartwheels.
“That means then that Liverpool would have to lose three or four games until the end of the season not to win the league because Man City are going to lose one or two and if they do, that means Liverpool can lose another couple on top of that.
“So it’s a massive game coming up in a couple of weeks.”
History on their side
It is tough to disagree with Merson when you consider the events that unfolded last year. Liverpool opened up a five-point lead over City after 24 games last season. However, a handful of draws after the turn of the year combined with a defeat against City themselves eventually clawed Pep Guardiola’s men back to the top.
Despite finishing on 97 points, the Reds fell short after looking like clinching their first Premier League title, similar to what happened in 2013-14. Back then, Brendan Rogers’ men led by three points with three games to go and looked certain to win the title. However, the infamous Steven Gerrard slip and the disastrous 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace ensured City once again pipped Liverpool to the title.
Regardless, things do look different this time around, and the showdown between the two on November 10th is going to be something special.