Liverpool vs. Manchester City: 3 keys to victory in top-of-table EPL match

Liverpool and Manchester City will face off for the second time this season on Sunday in a match with massive title implications.

Liverpool (19-6-2, 63 points) host Manchester City (19-5-3, 62 points) at Anfield after the two teams finished in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in November. The Reds trail Premier League leaders Arsenal by one point after the Gunners' 2-1 win over Brentford Saturday. The Sky Blues trail Arsenal by two points entering Sunday's match.

Should either team come away with the win, the three points earned would be enough to make the winner the Premier League's new leader. A draw would keep both teams just behind Arsenal. With just over two months remaining in the league season, each result begins to matter more.

Here are three major keys for each team to keep in mind for Sunday's game.

English Premier League: Predictions, picks and odds for Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Keys to the game

For Liverpool: Keep Phil Foden in check

In his last eight Premier League games, City midfielder Phil Foden has six goals, including two in the Manchester derby last weekend. Erling Haaland will continue to receive plenty of attention from league defenses as the Premier League's top scorer this sesason, but Foden has also cracked the top 10 in league goalscorers with his recent stretch.

For the Reds, keeping Foden quiet on the stats sheet could prove to be a deciding factor in the match.

For Man City: Take advantage of Liverpool's injury-depleted lineup early

Liverpool are missing right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, forward Diogo Jota and starting goalkeeper Alisson Becker, among others, on Sunday. Even with those injuries, the Reds have remained in winning form, often thanks to late-game heroics and Caoimhín Kelleher's strong work backing up Alisson in goal.

All four goals in the 4-1 win over Luton Town in late February came in the second half after a 1-0 halftime deficit. Virgil van Dijk scored the team's only goal against Chelsea in the 118th minute of the EFL Cup final for a 1-0 win. Darwin Núñez helped snatch two additional points against Nottingham Forest with a 99th minute goal to break the 0-0 tie.

Manchester City will need to push Liverpool early to avoid getting burned by the second-half success that has propelled the Reds of late.

Final minutes of match could determine winner

In that same vein, the last minutes of the match may determine who comes away with points.

The away side have conceded 14 of their 27 goals allowed this season in the final 30 minutes of regulation. Other top clubs have limited damage late. Arsenal have allowed just 6 goals over that interval this year; Aston Villa, 12; and Liverpool, 9, according to SoccerSTATS.com.

Meanwhile, the Reds have scored an astonishing 24 goals after the 75th minute in league matches this year. The next best team in that interval is Arsenal (16 goals).

Should the match remain tightly contested late, it's Liverpool that have the advantage.

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English Premier League standings

Here's how the EPL table looked entering Sunday.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liverpool vs. Manchester City: 3 keys to the game