Jamie Carragher has said Manchester City's Premier League title defence will be effectively over before Christmas if they lose to Liverpool at Anfield this weekend. The former Liverpool defender believes an 11-point gap would be too much for Pep Guardiola's side to overturn.
Liverpool hold an eight-point lead at the top of the table ahead of the pivotal showdown. City are without a win in six matches, having squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, following a 4-0 home defeat by Tottenham in the Premier League.
Writing in his Daily Telegraph column, Carragher acknowledged the prediction could "come back to haunt" him given Guardiola's track record, but insisted no one analysing City's performances could presume they will not lose more of their remaining 25 games. He suggested they could lose another five or six on current form.
Carragher called the Anfield clash "monumental" for the title race and urged his old club to "strike at their wounded rivals and show no mercy". He added that if City win and reduce the gap to five points, everyone will be asking what the recent fuss was about. The 737-time Liverpool appearance maker also noted that Arsenal and Chelsea have a real chance this season.
