Man City and Liverpool are separated by just one point with seven matches remaining in the Premier League; the sides could face each other in the Champions League final next month; Jurgen Klopp's side beat their rivals 3-2 in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday
Monday 18 April 2022 06:22, UK
Manchester City and Liverpool have played out thrilling games in the Premier League and FA Cup in the past week, and could even end their seasons against each other in the Champions League final next month.
Liverpool have faced the most gruelling schedule this season, playing 52 games in all competitions to City's 49, having won the Carabao Cup in February after City's early exit.
Should Klopp's side overcome Villarreal to reach the Champions League final - and with an FA Cup final on the horizon next month - their overall number of games played this season will stretch to 63, a total only surpassed by five sides in Premier League history.
On paper, there is no question that City have an easier run-in than Liverpool, something that their fans will surely be hoping gives them a crucial advantage as the hunt for the Premier League enters its final stages.
Pep Guardiola's side only have three fixtures against sides currently in the top half of the table (Wolves, Brighton and West Ham) and none of them are against sides currently in the top six.
The game at Molineux is arguably the toughest City will face during their run-in, for two reasons. The game does not yet have a date having been postponed due to City's participation in the FA Cup semi-finals, making it a harder task to prepare for, while City have only won once in three visits to Wolves since they returned to the top flight under Nuno Espirito Santo in 2018.
City's trip to Brighton on Wednesday looks like a potential banana skin after the Seagulls' recent wins over Arsenal and Tottenham, but the champions have a strong record at the Amex Stadium, winning four of their last five visits and scoring 17 goals.
It's a similar story with the West Ham game, which is live on Sky Sports - City have won four of their last five games in east London by an aggregate score of 18-2.
If the Hammers reach the Europa League final next month, that game will fall just three days before City's visit to the London Stadium and will surely take priority over any Premier League fixture, given David Moyes' side are six points adrift of the top four.
Guardiola's side will expect to see off Watford, Leeds and Newcastle - the latter two of those games are also live on Sky Sports - but the final-day fixture at home to Aston Villa presents an intriguing prospect.
If the title is still on the line, could former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard - who was famously never able to bring the Premier League title to Anfield as a player - get a result at the Etihad and hand his former side the trophy?
While City's run-in may lack headline fixtures, Liverpool's is stacked with them. Matches don't come much bigger than Liverpool against Manchester United, and Jurgen Klopp's side must negotiate that task on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.
However, a visit from their struggling north-west rivals does not spark the fear it once did, particularly given Liverpool have not lost at home to United in over six years. They will also know that three points over Ralf Rangnick's outfit will move them back to the top of the Premier League table, given City's next match is 24 hours later.
Liverpool then face another huge game next Sunday when Merseyside rivals Everton travel to Anfield, live on Sky Sports. While the Toffees' immediate priority is staying in the top flight, they would love nothing more than to derail the Reds' title bid, and they did win 2-0 at Anfield last season.
A trip to St James' Park to take on a Newcastle side that are much improved under Eddie Howe, follows before hosting Tottenham, who are likely to still be desperate for points in their quest to finish in the top four. Antonio Conte's team drew 2-2 with Liverpool in December, while Klopp has only beaten the Italian once in his managerial career.
A reunion with Gerrard is then on the agenda when Liverpool take on Aston Villa and Southampton - live on Sky Sports - in successive away games before they end their season at home to Wolves.
Klopp complained about Liverpool's schedule in the build-up to their win over City on Saturday, and he is unlikely to be happy about the scheduling of their Champions League fixtures in comparison to their title rivals.
The first leg of Liverpool's semi-final against Villarreal on Wednesday April 27 is sandwiched between their Sunday evening game against Everton and their trip to Newcastle on the following Saturday that kicks off at 12.30pm.
City's first leg against Real Madrid is on Tuesday April 26 and takes place between a Saturday lunchtime game at home to Watford and their trip to Leeds in the evening of the following Saturday.
The scheduling means City will have more than 24 extra hours to prepare for their game against Leeds than Liverpool will for theirs against Newcastle - a situation that prompted the Reds to ask the Premier League to move their trip to St James' Park.
City will also get an extra day to prepare for their second game against Real, while both they and Liverpool will have three days between their Champions League second legs and their next Premier League fixture.
To be rearranged: Southampton (a) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
April 19 - Man United (h) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
April 24 - Everton (h) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
April 26/27 - Villarreal Champions League SF first leg
April 30 - Newcastle (a) Premier League
May 3/4 - Villarreal Champions League SF second leg
May 7 - Tottenham (h) Premier League
May 10 - Aston Villa (a) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
May 14 - Chelsea (Wembley) FA Cup final
May 22 - Wolves (h) Premier League
May 28 - Champions League final *
To be rearranged: Wolves (a) Premier League
April 20 - Brighton (h) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
April 23 - Watford (h) Premier League
April 26/27 - Real Madrid Champions League SF first leg
April 30 - Leeds (a) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
May 3/4 - Real Madrid Champions League SF second leg
May 8 - Newcastle (h) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
May 15 - West Ham (a) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
May 22 - Aston Villa (h) Premier League
May 28 - Champions League final *
* Subject to progress
