The weekend’s Premier League action concludes with fireworks when Liverpool welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Once a ferocious and often decisive title fight, this season’s fixtures have lost some of their significance following Liverpool’s dramatic decline and Man City’s inconsistencies. Arsenal appear set to break up the Premier League trophy duopoly created by these sides since 2018, although Pep Guardiola’s men at least remain in the hunt.
Liverpool enter Sunday’s fixture reinvigorated after successive high-scoring wins on Merseyside. After a tricky start to the new year, 6–0 and 4–1 wins over Qarabağ and Newcastle United respectively have lifted spirits. Still, the Reds face an awkward battle to simply retain their Champions League berth—they realistically need a top-five league finish or to win Europe’s premier competition.
City still have an outside shot of pouring further misery on Arsenal but last weekend’s slip-up at Spurs underscores their regression over the past 18 months. Two goals to the good and cruising, they stumbled to a frustrating 2–2 draw that leaves them six points off Arsenal. They did at least recover midweek to book their place in the Carabao Cup final—where they will meet the Gunners.
Unfortunately for the Cityzens, their woeful record at Anfield makes for grim viewing. They have won just once at the venue since 2004—in front of an empty stadium amid the coronavirus pandemic—and will need to buck recent trends to keep pace with Arsenal.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to a blockbuster affair.
What Time Does Liverpool vs. Man City Kick Off?
- Location: Liverpool, England
- Stadium: Anfield
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
- Kick-off Time: 4:30 p.m. GMT / 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT
- Referee: Craig Pawson
- VAR: John Brooks
Liverpool vs. Man City Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Liverpool: 2 wins
- Man City: 1 win
- Draws: 2
Current Form (All Competitions)
| Liverpool (WWLWD) | Man City (WDWWL) |
|---|---|
| Liverpool 4–1 Newcastle | Man City 3–1 Newcatsle |
| Liverpool 6–0 Qarabağ | Tottenham 2–2 Man City |
| Bournemouth 3–2 Liverpool | Man City 2–0 Galatasaray |
| Marseille 0–3 Liverpool | Man City 2–0 Wolves |
| Liverpool 1–1 Burnley | Bodø/Glimt 3–1 Man City |
How to Watch Liverpool vs. Man City on TV, Live Stream
| Country | TV Channel / Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra |
| United States | Peacock |
| Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
| Mexico | Max Mexico |
Liverpool Team News
Arne Slot has revealed he holds “a little bit of hope” that Joe Gomez could feature at the weekend, although he ruled out a start for the injury-prone Englishman. He’s been missing since the 3–2 defeat to Bournemouth.
Jeremie Frimpong is still sidelined for the Reds and joins long-term absentee Conor Bradley on the sidelines. Dominik Szoboszlai looks likely to reprise his role as right back against the Cityzens.
Giovanni Leoni is still missing at the back but Ibrahima Konaté made an emotional return to the XI last weekend, even scoring in the win over Newcastle.
Alexander Isak is still recovering from his broken leg, while youngsters Jayden Danns and Stefan Bajčetić are also absent.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Liverpool predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitiké.
Man City Team News
Rúben Dias was back among the substitutes midweek for the win over Newcastle United and Guardiola has confirmed he could feature in some capacity on Sunday. John Stones has also recently returned to team training but will be reintegrated carefully.
Guardiola revealed a late call will need to be made on Bernardo Silva for the trip to Merseyside and there remains significant absentees across the City squad.
Joško Gvardiol is sidelined in defence, Mateo Kovačić in midfield and Savinho and Jérémy Doku out wide, with the latter a particularly sizeable miss given his terrific display in the reverse fixture.
Marc Guéhi was unavailable midweek due to Carabao Cup regulations but will return at Anfield against the club he almost joined last summer. Guardiola has suggested he’s unsure whether Erling Haaland will lead the line ahead of Omar Marmoush but the Norwegian is expected to feature.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool
Man City predicted lineup vs. Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Rodri; Semenyo, Reijnders, Foden, Cherki; Haaland.
Liverpool vs. Man City Score Prediction
It’s nigh on impossible to predict which version of these sides we’ll witness on Sunday, neither able to consistently deliver on the big occasion. However, with both backlines struggling and their forward lines purring, it should be an entertaining, high-scoring encounter.
Liverpool will have extra miles in the tank having enjoyed a rare midweek rest and they boast two incredibly in-form players in Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké. Their defence, however, remains their biggest liability.
City were much-improved midweek following their second-half collapse at Spurs and Guardiola has an incredible wealth of options to select from this weekend. But, much like Liverpool, he will be reluctant to trust his side defensively.
Prediction: Liverpool 2–2 Man City
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
