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Firmino vs Kompany: Three key battles for Liverpool vs Manchester City

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By Drew Griffin

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Liverpool

Liverpool face Manchester City on Sunday in a top of the table clash. The Reds have had a tough schedule for the past month or so with trips to Napoli, Tottenham and Chelsea. Liverpool have come out relatively unscathed with just the loss against the Italians.

That game saw us struggling to assert ourselves in the tie and Napoli should have won by more than the one-goal margin.

Liverpool seemed likely to pick up a hard-fought point but Lorenzo Insigne consigned us to our second defeat of the season.

City are tied at the top of the table with the Reds and are only ahead because of goal difference. Pep Guardiola’s men should be wary of our threat based on our performances from last season.

Liverpool Firmino

We beat the Cityzens thrice with some electric performances and we need to tap into that o dent their hopes of keeping their Premier League crown.

Liverpool and City will feature a number of stars all across the park. City have a fantastic attack but so do we.

The Cityzens have a midfield that can be devastating on their day and we have to be wary of not losing this clash.

The game will be an incredible clash and here are three battles that could be key to getting the points.

Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Leroy Sane

The English defender was taken apart by Napoli in the last game and should be wary of Leroy Sane.

The German attacker will certainly be looking to exploit not only Alexander-Arnold but Joe Gomez too, with his pace and trickery.

Our English pair has to be careful while dealing with the 22-year-old. Sane has the ability to be a game changer for the Cityzens and we have to ensure he doesn’t start brightly at Anfield on Sunday.

Roberto Firmino vs Vincent Kompany

Our Brazilian last scored in the 3-2 win over PSG but will be crucial against City.

Firmino must relentlessly try to create space for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany will be tasked with keeping the defence in shape.

The Belgian defender will have his work cut out as we have a couple of other attacking threats as well. However, it will be an intriguing battle between the Brazilian and Kompany.

The Manchester City defender is not as quick as he was a few years ago and Firmino’s pace could be important for us to score past the Cityzens.

Virgil van Dijk vs Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero is the leading scorer for the away side and has a penchant for scoring goals against us, with six to his name in the Premier League.

The Argentine is one of the best strikers in the world and in a team filled with attacking threats, Liverpool have to be careful when dealing with the forward.

Virgil van Dijk has turned things around for the Reds at the back and the Dutch defender should be at his smartest to keep Aguero out.

Read more: “My fault for sure” – Liverpool boss accepts blame for poor performance against Napoli

The centre-back isn’t the fastest in the world but he is one of the smartest players we have. Expect a real tussle as Van Dijk tries to stop the striker from being a nuisance at Anfield.