3 minute read
Brighton's Socceroos No.1 Mat Ryan has the opportunity to potentially become a hero to Liverpool fans by helping deny Manchester City the EPL title.
Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan has the chance to become a hero on the red side of Merseyside by thwarting Manchester City's march towards Premier League glory.
In what's been one of the most thrilling climaxes to a season for years, City lead Liverpool by a point and will become the first team in a decade to win back-to-back titles if they beat Ryan's Brighton & Hove Albion at the AMEX Stadium on Sunday (Monday AEST).
Juergen Klopp's Liverpool, fresh from their stunning 4-0 victory over Barcelona to book a spot in next month's Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur, will win a first English top-flight title in 29 years if they better City's result when they play Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
Ryan has already faced City twice this season, losing 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in September and then 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley last month.
However, with the Seagulls' Premier League survival secured they have nothing to lose against Pep Guardiola's outstanding side.
While much of the UK media focus has been on Liverpool potentially finishing second with 97 points - which would be the most by a team not crowned champions - City have chalked off 13 straight wins to edge their noses in front.
On December 29, the Reds - whose only defeat of the campaign was to City - were 10 points clear of Guardiola's men after City lost to Chelsea and Crystal Palace over the festive period.
Ryan has backed up his excellent first season in the Premier League with another solid campaign between the sticks, despite a difficult past three months for Brighton.
Successive wins over Huddersfield and Palace in March moved Brighton towards mid-table safety only for a run of six defeats in seven matches to drag them into the relegation dogfight.
The nadir for Ryan in that sequence was a humiliating 5-0 home thrashing by Bournemouth, after saw the team was booed off.
Keeping out a loaded City attack that has scored a staggering 91 league goals this season will present a huge test for the 27-year-old Australian.
However, in a recent interview Ryan told AAP that Brighton's defence has been their strength - they have conceded more than two goals a game in just five of their 37 league matches.
"We have generally done very well this season in frustrating many of the big teams," Ryan said.
"We pride ourselves on being strong at the back.
"There have been some games where we have not been at our best but in the Premier League the standard is so high, if you're even one per cent off you'll get punished."
