It's the champions versus their closest challengers. The Premier League's dominant force against the contender that's suffered most at their hands. Too often Liverpool has fallen to Manchester City after a season-long battle, only once managing to come out on top—that moment coming at a time in human history where nobody was allowed to fully enjoy it during the pandemic. City has stood in the way of Liverpool fulfilling its greatest era since the late 1980s, but Sunday at Anfield is the day to sow the seeds of change.
Liverpool has enjoyed an incredible week. Conor Bradley crunching Kylian Mbappé and Caoimhin Kelleher saving Mbappé's penalty helped Liverpool pulverize Real Madrid under the Champions League lights, exorcizing demons that have built up over 15 years. It was three points in Europe but a night of revenge for Sergio Ramos injuring Mohamed Salah's shoulder, Gareth Bale's overhead kick, Vinicius's tap-in in Paris, the 5–2 in 2023 and even for transfer market defeats. There was a time where Mbappé and Jude Bellingham looked like they may have ended up on Merseyside but what they got on Wednesday was the Frenchman doing a Raygun impression and Cody Gakpo firing social media shots at England's golden boy after scoring the second goal.
