Manchester City team news
Manchester City Starting XI
Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte; Rodri, Rico Lewis; Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland.
Recent form
Manchester City head into this fixture on the back of a 6-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-finals to progress into the last four of the prestigious cup competition. Haaland bagged a hat-trick, Julian Alvarez scored a brace, whereas Cole Palmer chipped in with another goal to complete the rout. Before that match, they scored seven past RB Leipzig in the Champions League courtesy of a five-star performance from the Norwegian striker.
Key players
All eyes will be on Haaland as the striker was in scorching form before club football came to a halt for the international break. The 22-year-old has scored 28 goals in 26 Premier League appearances and is gunning to break the all-time record for most goals (34) in a Premier League season which is currently jointly held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
Injuries & suspensions
Phil Foden has undergone surgery in London for acute appendicitis and will not be fit for this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool.
Haaland did not join his national teammates during the international break due to an adductor problem but is expected to be fit for the clash.
Tactical approach
Manchester City will go for the win right from the first whistle. They are chasing Arsenal at the top and will give their all to get an early opener to release the pressure. Guardiola's teams like to dominate possession, and it should be no different against Liverpool.
| Position | Players |
|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Ederson Moraes, Stefan Ortega, Scott Carson. |
| Defenders: | Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Manuel Akanji, Sergio Gomez, Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis. |
| Midfielders: | Rodri, Kalvin Phillips, Maximo Perrone, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Cole Palmer. |
| Forwards: | Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez. |
Liverpool team news
Liverpool Starting XI
Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Cody Gakpo, Fabinho, James Milner; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez.
Recent form
After dishing out a 7-0 thrashing to Manchester United at Anfield they have lost two successive matches to Bournemouth and Real Madrid in the Premier League and the Champions League, respectively, which is a testimony to the inconsistent form that has plagued them throughout the season.
Key players
Salah will be the one to watch out for the Reds. The Egyptian has 18 goal contributions in 26 matches for Liverpool in the Premier League and will once again spearhead the attack from the right.
Injuries & suspensions
Liverpool have several players on the nursing table, including Calvin Ramsay, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, and Konstantinos Tsimikas.
However, the likes of Darwin Nunez, Joe Gomez and Luis Diaz are likely to make a return to the matchday squad.
Tactical approach
Liverpool are likely to press high with their three forwards putting pressure on the Man City defenders who will be looking to play out from the back. They will be expected to keep things tight at the back and then pounce on the counter with the Salah and Gakpo turning on their after-burners.
| Position | Players |
|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher, Adrian. |
| Defenders: | Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Nathaniel Phillips, Rhys Williams, Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold. |
| Midfielders: | Fabinho, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Harvey Elliot, Fabio Carvalho. |
| Forwards: | Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino. |
Head-to-head record
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|
| April 10, 2022 | Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool | Premier League |
| April 16, 2022 | Manchester City 2-3 Liverpool | FA Cup |
| July 30, 2021 | Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City | FA Community Shield |
| October 16, 2022 | Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City | Premier League |
| December 22, 2022 | Manchester City 3-2 Liverpool | League Cup |
The spoils have been evenly shared in their last five meetings with Manchester City and Liverpool winning twice each along with one draw.
However, Manchester City have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool (W7 D5), going down 4-1 in November 2015 under Manuel Pellegrini.
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