Manchester City and Liverpool could lock horns one more time this season due to little known rule surrounding a potential Premier League play-off match.
This season we have been treated to one of the most intense title races in Premier League history, with three clubs separated by just one point with ten games remaining.
Arsenal currently lead the way ahead of Liverpool and City but Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's sides remain the two favorites to walk away victorious ahead of Mikel Arteta's men.
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While it's a highly unlikely scenario given the rarity of such circumstances aligning, the competitiveness between Liverpool and City in recent seasons has kept the idea alive.
With both teams consistently performing at a high level, it's not an entirely implausible scenario that there would be a need for a playoff match to determine the champion. However, Premier League rules and regulations make this outcome extremely remote, but the possibility adds to the excitement and drama of the title race.
The regulations for tie-breakers in the Premier League are relatively straightforward. If two teams finish level on points, the first tie-breaker is goal difference. If goal difference is also level, the next criterion is goals scored. If there's still a tie, the head-to-head record between the teams is considered, followed by the away goals scored during their head-to-head encounters.
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Crucially, Liverpool and Manchester drew 1-1 at both Anfield and the Etihad, effectively eliminating the final two tie-breakers making the prospect of a one-off match much more probable.
Essentially if Guardiola and Klopp finish the season with equal points, goal difference and goals scored the play-off will be on.
As it stands City sit below Liverpool with a +35 goal difference compared to their +39. Liverpool are also slightly ahead of their rivals in regard to goals scored with just two separating the two sides.
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With all the variables so close, the prospect of a one-off match to decide the Premier League could actually be on the cards.
Here is a potential run-in that would result in the play-off via liverpool.com:
Liverpool 1- 0 Brighton and Hove Albion
Manchester City 1- 1 Arsenal
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Manchester City 2-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool 2- 0 Sheffield United
Crystal Palace 0- 2 Manchester City
Manchester United 1- 2 Liverpool
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Manchester City 2- 0 Luton Town
Liverpool 2- 0 Crystal Palace
Fulham 0- 2 Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur 0- 2 Manchester City
Nottingham Forest 0- 2 Manchester City
West Ham United 0- 2 Liverpool
Liverpool 0- 2 Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City 2- 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Aston Villa 0- 2 Liverpool
Fulham 0- 2 Manchester City
Liverpool 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City 2- 0 West Ham United
Brighton and Hove Albion 0- 2 Manchester City
Everton 0- 2 Liverpool
Topics: Manchester City, Liverpool, Premier League, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp
Tom Jenkins