Manchester City have little to no time to let the dust settle on their humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid as they await Liverpool in another tough Premier League fixture on Sunday.
The Cityzens’ final chance of winning a trophy petered out after Real Madrid decimated them 3-1 in the second leg of the UCL play-off, progressing to the round of 16 on an aggregate 6-2. Pep Guardiola’s men hit rock bottom with a horrendous performance, which encapsulated their turbulent season.
Nevertheless, the Sky Blues will try to recover from their slump and shift their focus towards the Premier League, with the intense battle for the top-four spot awaiting them as the business end of the campaign draws nears.
However, the next hurdle is against runaway leaders Liverpool, who got the better of them in the reverse fixture at Anfield.
On the upside, the 4-0 battering of Newcastle United, sandwiched between the Champions League catastrophe against Real Madrid, might give the Cityzens some sort of confidence ahead of their epic clash against the league leaders.
On the other hand, Liverpool are starting to show signs of pressure in the title race after managing only one win in their last three games, including the dramatic 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
With Arsenal snapping at their heels – just trailing by eight points and having a game left in hand, Liverpool will try to return to their best and potentially inflict further misery on woeful Manchester City.
Manchester City vs Liverpool – Team News
Manchester City’s persistent injury woes continued in the defeat against Real Madrid as John Stones was forced off early with a knock, while Erling Haaland was an unused substitute. The Norwegian picked up an injury during the win against Newcastle United and Pep Guardiola revealed that the striker hadn’t fully recovered.
While Haaland’s participation against Liverpool remains doubtful, Manchester City are also sweating over the fitness of Kevin De Bruyne, who made it to the bench against Real Madrid but was not involved.
Manuel Akanji, Rodri, and Oscar Bobb are other long-term absentees.
Arne Slot has provided a further injury update on Cody Gakpo, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez 💬
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 20, 2025
As for Liverpool, Conor Bradley suffered an injury against Aston Villa, with manager Arne Slot expecting him to miss at least two games. Cody Gakpo is a doubt, while Joe Gomez is recovering from a hamstring surgery.
Manchester City vs Liverpool – Predicted Lineups
Predicted Manchester City Predicted XI: Ederson, Rico Lewis, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva; Savinho, Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush
Predicted Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson, Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz
Manchester City vs Liverpool – Key Battles
Salah vs Dias
Mohamed Salah has been breaking records week in and week out in what is turning out to be a magnificent season for the Egyptian. Salah has been leaving every defence in his wake with his blistering scoring form and is also showing no signs of slowing down.
Having already hogged the limelight with his stellar display against Manchester City in the first leg, the talismanic forward will look to take centre stage again. Dias will be tasked with keeping Salah under check, but it remains to be seen whether the centre-back can succeed, having produced an erratic performance against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Marmoush vs Konate
Omar Marmoush couldn’t make a big impact against Real Madrid, but the way he picked apart Newcastle United’s defence in the 4-0 routing, where he netted a hat-trick is still fresh in the minds.
The Egyptian superstar’s intelligent movement, agility, ability to drop between the lines and finishing skills present a tough challenge for Konate.
Manchester City vs Liverpool – Where to Watch
United Kingdom
Manchester City vs Liverpool can be viewed on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Ultra HD.
United States
The game between Manchester City and Liverpool will be broadcast on Peacock.
Prediction
Manchester City 1-3 Liverpool