Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
Today is a big day in English football. Liverpool plays Manchester City. The game is at Anfield, in Liverpool.
Manchester City has not lost this season. They won all five games. They are first in the table.
Their star, Erling Haaland, has scored in every one of those games.
Liverpool is in sixth place. Two of their players, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, are hurt and cannot play.
- football
- A sport where teams kick a ball.
- season
- The months when a sport is played.
- table
- A list that shows team places.
- star
- A famous, very good player.
- score
- To put the ball in the goal.
- hurt
- Not able to play because of a body problem.
- place
- A position in a list.
- win
- To beat the other team.
Level 2 - Elementary
Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, October 11, in matchday six of the Premier League. Kick-off is at 4:30 p.m. British time.
City arrive unbeaten and top of the table with five wins from five. Erling Haaland has scored in each of those five league games.
Liverpool are sixth with two wins, three draws, seven goals scored and four conceded. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are out with knocks picked up on international duty.
The Opta supercomputer gives City a slight edge, with a 40.7 percent chance of winning against 34.6 percent for Liverpool.
- host
- To be the home team in a match.
- kick-off
- The start of a football match.
- unbeaten
- Not having lost.
- draw
- A match where both teams score the same.
- concede
- To let the other team score.
- knock
- A small injury.
- edge
- A small advantage.
- chance
- How likely something is.
Level 3 - Intermediate
The Premier League's most anticipated fixture of the weekend arrives on Sunday, October 11, when Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield, with kick-off at 4:30 p.m. British time, 6:30 p.m. in Israel.
City come with a flawless record: five wins from five, top of the table, and Erling Haaland on the scoresheet in every one of those league games. Liverpool, by contrast, sit sixth with two wins and three draws, having scored seven and conceded four.
Their task is complicated by absences. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo have both returned from international duty with knocks and will miss the match. The Opta supercomputer sees a tight contest, but nudges City ahead, giving them a 40.7 percent chance of victory against 34.6 percent for the hosts.
For Liverpool, the occasion is a chance to halt a champion-caliber rival at home and to reset a season that has so far produced more draws than wins.
- fixture
- A scheduled sports match.
- flawless
- Without any faults.
- scoresheet
- The record of who scored in a match.
- absence
- The state of being away.
- contest
- A competition.
- nudge
- To push gently.
- caliber
- Level of quality.
- reset
- To start again from a better position.
Level 4 - Advanced
Few fixtures in English football carry quite the weight of Liverpool against Manchester City, and on Sunday, October 11, at Anfield, the occasion arrives with the table already telling a story. Kick-off is at 4:30 p.m. British time, 6:30 p.m. in Israel.
City are a juggernaut of tidy numbers: five wins from five, first place, and Erling Haaland scoring in every one of those league matches. Liverpool, sixth, have won twice and drawn three times, scoring seven and conceding four, a record that is respectable without being convincing.
Their problems are compounded by the loss of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, both of whom came back from international duty with knocks. The Opta supercomputer remains cautious, giving City a 40.7 percent chance of victory and Liverpool 34.6, with the balance a draw.
The stakes are therefore asymmetric. For City, an unbeaten start extended at Anfield would reinforce their claim to the title. For Liverpool, a result against the leaders would puncture the sense that a promising season is drifting.
- juggernaut
- An overwhelming force.
- convincing
- Persuasive; leaving no doubt.
- compounded
- Made worse by an additional factor.
- cautious
- Careful to avoid risk.
- balance
- The remainder.
- asymmetric
- Unequal in what each side has at stake.
- puncture
- To deflate.
- drifting
- Moving slowly without direction.
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