Liverpool have beaten Arsenal in their tug of war for Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin.

The Turkish 23-year-old looked at one point to be heading to the Emirates Stadium, but Brendan Rodgers pushed (or pulled, in this instance) for the deal harder, and a season-long loan is Anfield’s reward!

Can you see Sahin thriving under Rodgers’ tutelage? Or do you think the former Borussia Dortmund star will rue not choosing Arsene Wenger’s squad as his temporary team-mates?

Manchester City and Liverpool met four times last season – drawing two of the games and grabbing one win apiece. But it is tough to predict how this one will pan out with a new man in charge of the Reds implementing a different style of play.

Perhaps Brendan Rodgers will be looking for a repeat of the 1-0 win he picked up against Manchester City when in charge of Swansea last season. Anfield would certainly take that result and the Liverpool win is available at 19/10 (2.90) with . The draw is available at 12/5 (3.40).

It is unusual for the Reds to be the underdogs on their own patch but this is Manchester City who are coming to town.

Some of Liverpool’s players had a testing midweek encounter with Hearts and that may play into the hands of Roberto Mancini’s men.

City aren’t beaten even when they’re beaten these days – they are playing with the confidence of Premier League champions. They can be backed for the win here at 11/8 (2.38) with .

But Mancini will have to engineer this victory without the help of the injured Sergio Aguero. Carlos Tevez is 4/1 (5.0) favourite to score first in his absence but with Aguero missing that does raise the possibility of exploiting the unders market here.

Liverpool are likely to be cautious – trying to keep the ball rather than push on. And it is worth noting that in the big games City have tried to keep things tight of late. Since the 6-1 win at Old Trafford, five matches against United, Chelsea and Arsenal have seen just nine goals.

Backing under 2.5 goals could be the way to go again here and it is available at 4/5 (1.80) with .

And if you fancy a value punt, we come back to the 1-0 win for Liverpool. It has already been the scoreline for two of Rodgers’ four competitive games in charge. Moreover, the last four league games City have lost have been by that same score.

The 1-0 home win is available at 17/2 (9.50) with and could reap dividends if the Reds can get the opening goal in what should be a tight match.

Sign up with for a £25 free bet

Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here – you can also follow Adam on

Follow GoalBetting on

Liverpool have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Real Madrid to sign Nuri Sahin on a season-long loan, subject to a medical.

The 23-year-old signed for Real Madrid last summer after playing a major role in the Borussia Dortmund side which won the Bundesliga title in 2010-11, picking up the Bundesliga’s Player of the Season award in the process.

However the Turkish international failed to break into Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side and therefore has been allowed to leave the Bernabeau on loan in order to find regular first-team football.

A number of clubs, including Premier League rivals Arsenal, were also in the hunt for Sahin’s services but Brendan Rodgers has won the race for the playmaker.

Sahin is Turkey’s youngest ever goalscorer with a goal on his international debut in 2005, the 23-year-old has since made 31 appearances for his country.

A club statement read: “The 23-year-old will now undergo a medical on Merseyside.”