Liverpool will welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday for a crucial Premier League encounter that could shape the title race and Champions League qualification. The defending champions sit sixth with 39 points, buoyed by a recent 4-1 victory over Newcastle, while City trail leaders Arsenal by six points after drawing 2-2 with Tottenham. Managers Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola have emphasized the importance of mental strength and team development ahead of the clash.
The match at Anfield, scheduled for Sunday at 4:30pm GMT, carries significant stakes. Liverpool, in sixth place, could find themselves four points outside the top five if Manchester United and Chelsea win their Saturday fixtures. A top-five finish likely secures a spot in next season's Champions League. City, second in the table, risk falling nine points behind Arsenal if the leaders defeat Sunderland.
Liverpool head into the game in improved form after a commanding 4-1 win over Newcastle last weekend, where summer signing Hugo Ekitike scored twice, bringing his season tally to 15 goals. Fellow big-money arrival Florian Wirtz has also found his scoring touch, netting six times in his last 10 matches since his first Liverpool goal after a 22-game drought. The Reds lost 3-0 to City at the Etihad in November but are eager to demonstrate progress, as manager Arne Slot noted: "I mainly remember the game we played at Etihad, and we were outplayed for large parts in the first half. So, this is another moment to see where we are in the development of this team."
Slot highlighted the club's winter signings of four central defenders—Jeremy Jacquet, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye, and Noah Adekoya—as preparation for life after captain Virgil van Dijk, who turns 35 this year. He praised Jacquet, a France under-21 international set to join from Rennes in July: "Such a big talent and another example of the model we’re using at this club."
For City, Erling Haaland is enduring a rare dry spell with just two goals in his last 12 games and has never scored for the club at Anfield. Pep Guardiola lauded him as "the best striker in the world" but declined to confirm his starting role. Guardiola stressed mental fortitude: "The biggest stages and the biggest games always need big personalities... The mind of the players you have defines the big teams." He also described Anfield as one of football's toughest away venues, calling Liverpool an "exceptional team."
Historically, the sides have met 219 times, with Liverpool winning 110, City 61, and 58 draws. City's last away league victory at Anfield was in 2021 during COVID restrictions.
Team news sees Liverpool without Jeremie Frimpong, with Dominik Szoboszlai deputizing at right-back; Joe Gomez may return, but Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni are sidelined. City could miss Bernardo Silva due to a back issue, with Ruben Dias not fully match-fit; Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guehi are expected to start in defense. Additional City absentees include John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho.
