Liverpool vs Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

One earth-shattering blameworthy verdict later, Manchester City's poetic Premier League instrumentality takes spot astatine 4.30pm connected Sunday, erstwhile the table-toppers sojourn a vengeful Liverpool outfit astatine Anfield.

Enzo Maresca's men are the lone Premier League squad inactive boasting a 100% grounds aft 5 games successful 2026-27, but on-pitch perfection has paled into insignificance pursuing the seismic quality that shocked shot to the halfway during the planetary break.

Match preview

Maresca's thumbs whitethorn beryllium up, but his broadside volition beryllium going down if a plethora of rival supporters get their way, aft an autarkic committee recovered Man City guilty of astir each of the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League implicit 3 and a fractional years ago.

From organising alleged 'sham' contracts to disguise existent fiscal figures to purportedly refusing to co-operate with authoritative investigations, the ruling against Man City marked a bombshell infinitesimal successful English football, but the nine proceed to strenuously contradict immoderate wrongdoing and have submitted an appeal.

Jose Mourinho has joked helium could beryllium 80 by the clip the saga yet reaches its conclusion, but the entreaty process itself indispensable beryllium completed wrong 12 weeks, during which clip Maresca's men tin lone absorption connected matters successful their ain power connected the pitch.

The Citizens person gone astir specified concern astir impeccably since their Community Shield decision to Arsenal, winning each of their archetypal 5 Premier League games by an aggregate people of 13-5 portion besides making triumphant starts successful the Champions League and the EFL Cup.

Man City survived a Brian Brobbey-sized scare to descend Sunderland 5-3 conscionable earlier the planetary break, contempt the Dutchman's Etihad hat-trick, though the visitors are present anticipated to look the astir rambunctious Anfield ambiance successful caller memory.

Recipients of soul-shattering metallic medals during the 2013-14 Premier League play - close successful the heavy of Man City's alleged offending play betwixt 2009 and 2018 - Liverpool and their ardent fanbase volition beryllium fuelled connected by the biggest consciousness of injustice during Sunday's main event.

The Reds ne'er request immoderate other information to enactment successful the show of their careers against the Sky Blues, and Andoni Iraola's harvest tin expect fully-fledged enactment from rival fans up and down the state this weekend, arsenic volition beryllium the lawsuit for immoderate and each squad to travel up against Man City successful the coming months.

Liverpool person been incapable to replicate Man City's cleanable Premier League grounds successful 2026-27 truthful far, but the hosts stay unbeaten with 2 wins and 3 draws connected their record, astir precocious eking retired a 1-0 triumph astatine a shot-shy Bournemouth to emergence to sixth successful the table.

Also emulating Man City's Champions League and EFL Cup successes, the Reds person prevailed successful 4 of their past 5 matches successful each competitions, scoring 8 goals portion shipping conscionable 1 successful the process.

However, Arne Slot's Liverpool mislaid each 3 of their meetings with Pep Guardiola's Man City successful the 2025-26 season, but successful the archetypal Reds vs. Sky Blues gathering since 2015 without Jurgen Klopp oregon Guardiola barking orders, the fallout whitethorn instrumentality precedence implicit the full-time scoreline.

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool signifier (all competitions):

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

Team News

The past happening already-apprehensive Man City fans needed implicit the planetary interruption was an wounded scare to Erling Haaland, but they got precisely that erstwhile the Golden Boot holder appeared to limp disconnected for Norway against Portugal.

However, determination are nary superior concerns implicit Haaland's fittingness for the travel to Merseyside, arsenic Maresca confirmed successful his pre-game property league - amid the slew of charges-related questions.

There were nary updates connected Nico O'Reilly (knock) oregon Antoine Semenyo (ankle), though neither antheral is believed to beryllium carrying a terrible problem, portion Phil Foden completes his three-game home suspension.

Both Man City and Liverpool suffered scares implicit Scandinavian strikers during the pause, arsenic Alexander Isak withdrew from the Sweden squad with a thigh occupation and has been ruled retired of this contest.

Cody Gakpo (ankle) is successful the nonstop aforesaid boat, and with Hugo Ekitike (Achilles) besides retired of contention for astatine slightest respective much weeks, Iraola whitethorn beryllium forced to deploy Bradley Barcola arsenic his attacking focal point.

Jeremy Jacquet (thigh) and Federico Chiesa (back) are successful amended shape, though - the erstwhile has been declared acceptable and the second is backmost successful grooming - but Conor Bradley (knee) and Giovanni Leoni (knee) volition some ticker connected from the sidelines.

Liverpool imaginable starting lineup:

Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Munoz; Barcola

Manchester City imaginable starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Dias, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Ndiaye, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

We say: Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City

Liverpool vs. Man City matches were hard capable to foretell without factoring successful the consequences of the Sky Blues' unprecedented caller period, but Maresca saw a fistful of his players - astir notably Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guehi - marque uncharacteristic mistakes during the planetary break, perchance with the charges connected their minds.

Even though the Reds person small successful the mode of out-and-out strikers, Iraola's men should provender disconnected the febrile Anfield ambiance and breach the City backline aggregate times, but adjacent that whitethorn not beryllium capable to support a galvanised Citizens broadside from taking location a stock of the spoils.

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