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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

Liverpool face moment of truth in Man City title race as 'massive' week arrives

The train back from Euston to Lime Street on Saturday evening was understandably buoyant given events on the South Coast earlier in the day.

Even the announcer joined in the fun as he remarked on an enjoyable away day for the large number of Liverpool supporters on board.

But amid the fun and festivities, it wasn't long before conversation in the carriages continually returned to one looming appointment.

"Wednesday is massive now, isn't it?"

Liverpool's Premier League clash at Arsenal that night has assumed a certain level of importance ever since it was rearranged from the weekend the Reds lifted the Carabao Cup.

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And the growing feeling is the next few days could be pivotal in shaping the battle for the championship as it prepares to enter the final straight.

Manchester City are up first when they travel on Monday to face a Crystal Palace side who inflicted one of their three league defeats of the season when winning 2-0 at the Etihad back in October.

Pep Guardiola's side saw their lead once again reduced to three points on Saturday when Liverpool notched an eighth successive Premier League victory with a 2-0 triumph at Brighton.

Having taken only two points from their previous three games against the Seagulls - including a 2-2 Anfield draw earlier this campaign when surrendering a two-goal lead - the Reds negotiated a significant banana skin at the AMEX Stadium.

Indeed, the sights of most neutral observers are already starting to focus on the meeting between the top two at the Etihad on Sunday, April 10.

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But with 10 games to go - more than a quarter of the season - Andy Robertson admits Liverpool have too much on their plate to ponder what could be in the Premier League.

"We’ve not really got much time to think about it, to be honest," he says.

"It’s probably not got to the exciting point just yet. We’ve still got a lot of games to go and we just need to keep ticking them off one by one.

“There are games coming thick and fast, we are playing in every competition going, we are just trying to take every game as they come."

While Jurgen Klopp's side must also entertain Watford before the blockbusting trip to City, Arsenal is the immediate assignment.

The Gunners, improving under Mikel Arteta, gave City an almighty scare on New Year's Day when losing 2-1 at the Emirates and have since pushed themselves into strong contention for Champions League qualification.

The Reds will take encouragement from a 4-0 home win over Arsenal in November and the 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final second leg triumph in London in January, albeit against a side missing a number of key players.

And the fixture underlines if Liverpool are going to take City to the wire in their attempt to regain the title, it will be on the strength of their away form over the closing weeks.

City look to have the more appealing remaining schedule. As well as Liverpool, at home they take on relegation strugglers Watford, along with mid-table trio Brighton, Newcastle United and Aston Villa.

On the road, Guardiola's men face Palace, lowly duo Burnley and Leeds United, and European hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United.

The average position of the teams they face is around 11th, which is similar to the home schedule of Liverpool although, after Watford, the names Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves all point to traditionally tricky assignments.

Away from home, though, Klopp's side have the much tougher task, taking on Arsenal, City, Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa, a resurgent Newcastle United and Southampton, the average position of whom is eighth.

“It’s going to be an exciting run-in hopefully," adds Robertson. "We need to keep winning games, we are the chasing pack and we need to keep ticking off the games and hope obviously Manchester City drop points.

“But all we can do is control the games that we can win and if we do that let’s see where it ends up in May."

The coming few days will determine how the momentum has swung for when the final run-in begins after the international break later this month.

Massive? Without doubt. Next stop Arsenal on the title train.

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