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Liverpool have the chance to cut Manchester City’s Premier League lead, albeit briefly, to six points as they continue their distant pursuit of the champions.
Despite his team winning their last four games, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Manchester City will not be peering anxiously in their rear-view mirror.
But a home game against relegation strugglers Norwich on Saturday, a couple of hours before Manchester City play out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur, offers an opportunity just to dial up a little pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side.
Not that Klopp will have much faith in Tottenham throwing a spanner in the works of City’s well-oiled machine.
If Liverpool’s form is impressive, City’s is simply extraordinary, having won 14 of their last 15 league games and drawing the other.
What’s more, they looked unstoppable on Tuesday in thrashing Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in Portugal to all but book their place in the last eight of the Champions League.
Liverpool also enjoyed an impressive 2-0 win at Inter Milan on Wednesday and while Norwich are fighting for their Premier League lives, it is difficult to imagine Liverpool not chalking up a fifth straight league win.
(Photo by Str/Xinhua via Getty Images
Norwich lost 4-0 against Manchester City last week despite matching the leaders in the first half and midfielder Billy Gilmour knows another huge challenge awaits at Anfield.
“We gave (City) a right test,” the Chelsea loanee said.
“The score doesn’t say that but at 1-0 at halftime we thought we had a chance to come back out and the early goal killed us.
“We’ll go to Anfield with the same mindset and battle.”
Spurs manager Antonio Conte avoided a defeat in his first nine league games in charge after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in November but the wheels have fallen off.
After losing to Chelsea in the League Cup semi-finals, Tottenham have suffered three successive league defeats against Chelsea, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Conte has not experienced a run like that as a manager since he was in charge of Serie A club Atalanta in 2009.
Tottenham actually beat the champions in August, one of only two defeats City have suffered this season.
Newcastle United have won their last three matches to escape the relegation zone and will travel to West Ham United in Saturday’s early game.
A win would see Newcastle climb to 15th, although West Ham have the incentive of reclaiming fourth spot from Manchester United if they take all three points.
The battle for fourth spot and Champions League qualification looks like going the distance.
Manchester United, who are fourth, are away at Leeds United on Sunday while Arsenal, who are sixth but have three games in hand over the two sides above them, host struggling Brentford on Saturday.
Wolves, who’ve crept up to seventh, face Leicester City on Sunday.
Newly-crowned world champs Chelsea, currently third, return to domestic action against Crystal Palace on Saturday with one eye on next week’s Champions League last-16 tie against French club Lille.
© AAP
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