Liverpool vs Manchester City – News and Probable Lineups

With support from Liverpool’s red half and North London’s counterparts, Liverpool hosts Manchester City at Anfield in the significant match on Sunday.

Heading into gameweek 25, the home team finds itself four positions and eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League standings, but they have identical records over the last six top-flight matches – just one win, four draws, and one loss.

Match overview

The sixth Premier League fixture of 2026 turned out to be a turning point for Liverpool; after a streak of four consecutive draws and a disappointing defeat to Bournemouth at the start of the year, Arne Slot’s squad triumphed over Newcastle United.

The Magpies arrived in Merseyside following a 1-1 draw against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, but they left their defensive prowess back in France, as a dynamic Liverpool squad inspired by Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz cruised to a 4-1 win after going behind due to an Anthony Gordon goal.

Notable for their recovery during Jurgen Klopp’s last season, Liverpool is still demonstrating their ability to turn games around under Arne Slot; since the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign, they have accrued 28 points in the league after falling behind first, which is the fourth highest in the league.

The Liverpool kit staff have clearly ensured the players are equipped with the best shooting skills, as the team has scored 15 goals over their last four matches, including six against Qarabag and three against Marseille in the UCL, alongside two against Bournemouth.

Despite this, a coveted top-five position remains out of reach for the Reds; they begin the week sitting two points behind Manchester United and one behind Chelsea, while Brentford and Sunderland are still in contention should Liverpool falter.

For the second consecutive week, Arsenal fans will pivot their allegiance from the top six for their latest Manchester City watch, having witnessed Tottenham Hotspur hinder the Sky Blues’ title aspirations with an unexpected 2-2 draw.

Seemingly on their way to victory after goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, Guardiola’s team may have become complacent in the second half, as former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke surprised them with an equalizing brace.

With five points dropped in their last six Premier League matches, Manchester City now sits six points behind Arsenal, who, while not flawless in 2026, demonstrated their scoring prowess by netting four goals against Leeds United last weekend.

A victory for the Gunners over Sunderland would temporarily extend their lead to nine points, and City has struggled on the road recently, remaining winless in their last three away fixtures, conceding at least two goals in each matchup.

Nevertheless, City followed Liverpool’s performance by defeating Newcastle 3-1 in Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg, setting up a clash with Arsenal at Wembley – and their earlier 3-0 win against Liverpool in November puts them just 90 minutes away from achieving a historic Premier League double over the Reds.

Team News

Slot shared both good and bad news on the injury status during his pre-match press conference; Joe Gomez has a slight possibility of recovering from his hip injury in time for the weekend, whereas Jeremie Frimpong (thigh) is ruled out.

Conor Bradley (knee), Alexander Isak (leg), and Giovanni Leoni (knee) round out the list of absentees for the reigning champions, who are likely to maintain the successful strategy employed during their victory over Newcastle.

Having contributed a goal and an assist during that thrilling match, Wirtz now shows nine direct contributions in his last 11 matches for Liverpool – outpacing all other Premier League players in that period – after managing just three in his first 21 appearances.

Regarding Manchester City’s injury list, Guardiola remains uncertain about Bernardo Silva’s status for the trip to Anfield, as the Portuguese player suffered a knock during the Tottenham fixture and missed the Newcastle match.

Rayan Cherki was at least fit enough to feature as a substitute in the cup after dealing with his own injury last weekend, while Ruben Dias was also available off the bench midweek after a month-long recovery from a hamstring issue.

John Stones (thigh) has returned to first-team training, but he isn’t prepared to compete yet, reminiscent of the same situation for Josko Gvardiol (calf), Mateo Kovacic (ankle), Jeremy Doku (calf), and Savinho (thigh).

Marc Guehi is back from his EFL Cup ineligibility, but Guardiola did not specify if Erling Haaland would be included in the starting XI, merely calling him the “best striker in the world” in the press conference.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekiti

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Ake, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, O’Reilly; Cherki, Reijnders, Semenyo; Haaland

Facing a different yet still unpredictable side compared to the one that was defeated at the Etihad, Liverpool has the chance to exploit Manchester City’s recent struggles on the road, midweek fatigue, and defensive absences to further hinder Guardiola’s title ambitions.

Salah is back to form, Wirtz is performing at his best, and Ekitike is thriving alongside him, allowing Slot’s squad to engage in an exciting clash that promises to be a thrilling spectacle.