Manchester City will look to put a dent in Liverpool’s title hopes on Sunday as the two Premier League heavyweights clash in a much-anticipated fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
The Sky Blues limped out of the Champions League following a 6-3 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in a play-off fixture earlier this week. Pep Guardiola’s men were second best in every department in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in Spain, which encapsulated their turbulent season. Nonetheless, they now have the Premier League to focus and must look to consolidate their fourth position in the table.
On the other hand, Liverpool are showing signs of pressure in the title race after managing just one win in their last three games. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Aston Villa at Villa Park in midweek, but following Arsenal’s 1-0 home loss at the hands of West Ham on Saturday, Arne Slot’s men have the chance to go 11 points clear with a win in the blue half of Manchester.
Manchester City vs Liverpool—Team News
Manchester City have been dealt a big blow after Pep Guardiola revealed earlier this week that John Stones is injured and may require surgery. Stones’ injury update comes a week after it was confirmed fellow defender Manuel Akanji will require surgery on a thigh injury.
Erling Haaland was an unused substitute in the Champions League knockouts’ play-off second leg against Real Madrid in midweek due to a knee problem, and Guardiola is unsure whether the City star will be available to face Liverpool.
As for Liverpool, Cody Gakpo has missed the last two games with a knock and remains doubtful for the trip to Man City. Conor Bradley tweaked his hamstring in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa in midweek and is expected to miss the next couple of games.
Meanwhile, Joe Gomez has had a surgery on his hamstring injury and will return just before the season ends.
Manchester City vs Liverpool—Predicted Lineups
Predicted Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Ederson, Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol; Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva; Savinho, Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush.
Predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz.
Manchester City vs Liverpool—Key Players
Manchester City—Omar Marmoush
If Haaland is not fully fit enough to start, Omar Marmoush will lead the City attack against Liverpool. The Egyptian scored an eye-catching hat-trick in the 4-0 thrashing Newcastle United last weekend, sending a statement that he has arrived in the Premier League. With a few chinks appearing in the Liverpool defence of late, he’d be hoping to exploit those and help his team win the contest at home.
Liverpool—Mohamed Salah
From one Egyptian to the another, Mohamed Salah has been shattering records week in and week out in what is turning out to be a dream season for him—potentially the last—in a Red shirt. The talismanic forward bagged a goal and an assist apiece in the 2-2 draw with Villa in midweek, taking his goal contribution to a staggering 49 in just 37 games across competitions. He loves playing against City and will be raring to make a mark in this big game on Sunday.
Prediction: Man City 2-2 Liverpool
Sports journalist, content writer and passionate football lover.
