Pep Guardiola and Manchester City face Arne Slot’s Liverpool in Sunday’s titanic match at the Etihad Stadium, with the potential to significantly help his former right-hander Mikel Arteta in the Premier League title race.
The stuttering holders are finally going back to typing at home, at least in a domestic sense, even though the final two English champions are separated by a massive 17-point gap in the top-flight rankings.
With the exception of the most incredible Premier League title comeback the nation has ever seen, the five-peat dream may be in ruins, but Man City can at least attempt to defeat Liverpool along the way, improving their chances of earning a traditional Champions League qualification.
Real Madrid won the most recent battle in the long-running war, defeating City 6-3 on aggregate in their knockout round playoff as the captivating Kylian Mbappe claimed a second-leg hat-trick. This means that City’s only chance to reach Europe’s top table is to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Due to their early Champions League exit, City will now only compete in the Premier League and FA Cup for the remainder of the season, along with the redesigned Club World Cup this summer. However, in terms of the top flight, Guardiola’s team is starting to resemble their former self.
Omar Marmoush left with one of his own after Man City’s 4-0 thumping of top-four-chasing Newcastle United last weekend, which allowed them to hold onto fourth place before gameweek 26 begins, while Mbappe took home the match ball in midweek.
No team in the top flight can match the Citizens’ 2025 conversion rate of 24.7%, which has increased from a pitiful 9.6% from August to December. The Citizens have now won all three of their recent Premier League games in front of their own supporters, scoring at least three goals each time.
Rumor has it that the champions may have caught the challengers just in time, as if their last four games are any indication, the previously unbeatable Liverpool team is starting to show signs of weakness.
The Reds’ 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers was by no means convincing, and Slot’s team only managed a 2-2 draw with a deflected goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold during their midweek trip to Aston Villa, where they had the opportunity to open up a 10-point lead over Arsenal.
Arsenal, who come to the Etihad with just one win from their last four games across all competitions, will only be five points behind Liverpool on the same number of games before Slot’s team plays Man City if they defeat London rivals West Ham United as predicted.
The league leaders have also only won two of their last eight away games in all competitions and none of their last three. However, the record alone does not fully reflect the situation, as Slot’s team has scored in all 14 of their Premier League away games thus far and has yet to lose one in 2024–25.
Guardiola’s six-finger gesture was the hot-button topic during Liverpool’s easy 2-0 home victory over Man City earlier in the season, and that precise number also indicates how many times Liverpool has defeated the defending Premier League champions, most recently against Chelsea in 2010–11.
Guardiola was unable to ensure that City talisman Erling Haaland would be available for the weekend after he was limited to a viewing brief at the Bernabeu after he jolted his knee in the final moments of the victory over Newcastle.
John Stones, who may require surgery for a quadriceps injury he suffered eight minutes into the team’s midweek loss to Real Madrid, is one player who will most certainly not make the squad. Manuel Akanji (thigh), Oscar Bobb (calf), and Rodri (ACL) are also still sidelined.
Hat-trick hero Marmoush is expected to show off in the final third whether or not Haaland is allowed to play; further back, Ederson may become the first goalkeeper in history to register an assist in three straight Premier League appearance.
Cody Gakpo, who has missed Liverpool’s last two Premier League games because of a knock, is still a major doubt for the trip to Manchester City, along with Joe Gomez (thigh) and Tyler Morton (shoulder).
The visitors are in good form for this crucial match, where Mohamed Salah is vying to make history yet again. Slot is also “99.9%” certain that Conor Bradley will miss this one after seemingly twitching his hamstring in the draw with Villa.
Only Steven Gerrard (14) has been directly involved in more Premier League goals against the Citizens than the fiery Egyptian, who has contributed to 13 of them—eight of them himself and five assists.
Possible starting lineup for Manchester City: Gonzalez; Savinho, Silva, Foden, Marmoush; Haaland; Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Ake, and Gvardiol
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz, and Jota are Liverpool’s potential starting lineup.
We say: Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool
Slot’s team has lost their way a little bit in recent weeks, and a City team that is now scoring goals for fun at home is ready to take advantage, to some extent, whether it is due to exhaustion, pressure, or a combination of the two.
The availability of Haaland could potentially determine whether the champions can actually win Sunday’s thrilling match. We can expect Man City to emerge with a respectable point, which could make Liverpool anxiously watch them.