"It’s just a really difficult place" - Mark Lawrenson makes big scoreline prediction for Luton Town vs Manchester City
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has backed Manchester City to secure all three points against Luton Town this weekend. The pundit has predicted a 2-0 scoreline in favor of the reigning English champions.
Pep Guardiola's men had a great start to the 2023/24 campaign but have endured a major dip in form recently. The Cityzens are winless in their last four fixtures in the English top tier, only managing draws against 10th-placed Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester City also lost 1-0 against their biggest rivals in the title race last season, Arsenal, in October thanks to Gabriel Martinelli's 86th-minute strike. Most recently, they succumbed to Aston Villa by a similar scoreline.
While many would expect a straightforward win for City, Luton Town have shown some impressive performances this season. The Hatters managed to split the points with Liverpool at Kenilworth Road in November and suffered an extremely close 4-3 defeat against Arsenal earlier this week.
However, Lawrenson still backs Guardiola's men to score two against Luton. The former Liverpool star told Paddy Power:
"Luton are great at home, they gave Liverpool a bloody nose and Arsenal needed that last-minute winner to beat them the other day. It’s just a really difficult place to go, the pitch is small and it’s made even smaller by the surroundings. I expect Manchester City to create enough chances to win. Luton 0-2 Manchester City."
The last time these two sides met was in 1999 in Division Two when City secured a 2-0 victory (via 11v11).
"He doesn't deserve for one second what I've done" - Pep Guardiola issues heartfelt apology over Manchester City star's lack of game time
Guardiola has admitted that he is to blame for Kalvin Phillips' lack of game time at the Etihad. The Spanish boss publicly apologized to the England international in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Luton Town clash.
Phillips arrived at Manchester City from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. The midfielder made only 12 Premier League appearances last season, amassing less than 300 minutes in the English top tier.
This term, he has featured just four times in the league, registering just under 90 minutes. Guardiola expressed his remorse at being unable to provide the Englishman a proper place in the first team, insisting Phillips doesn't deserve the treatment he's received.
The former Barcelona manager said (via GIVEMESPORT):
"I feel so sorry for my decisions for him. He doesn't deserve for one second what I've done. I don't give him minutes, and I'm so sorry."
"The only thing I'm asking is for a good, behaved person, a good personality, a good character, thinking about the game. He is a perfect example."
"It's just because I visualized something. I visualized the team, I visualized things that struggle a little bit to suit him. That's all. I feel so, so sorry for him. He trains really good and he's a lovely, lovely guy."