Who: Liverpool vs Manchester City
What: English Premier League
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, UK
When: Sunday at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Liverpool host City for a match with huge ramifications for the title race and the battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
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City trail leaders Arsenal by six points and could find themselves nine adrift by the time they kick off, with the Gunners hosting Sunderland on Saturday.
Liverpool could also be four points outside the top five, which should secure a place in the Champions League, should Manchester United and Chelsea win on Saturday.
The champions head into the weekend in sixth place on 39 points but in high spirits after a commanding 4-1 win over Newcastle United last weekend, while City dropped points against 14th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 draw.
Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, two of Liverpool’s big-money summer signings, are beginning to deliver returns. Ekitike scored twice in the win over Newcastle to take his tally for the season to 15, while Wirtz has netted six times in 10 matches since ending a 22-game wait for his first Liverpool goal.
City’s Erling Haaland, meanwhile, is experiencing an unusual lean spell with just two goals in his last 12 games. He has never scored for City at Anfield.
Slot targets improved display against City
Liverpool are eager to showcase how far they have progressed after losing 3-0 to City in November, manager Arne Slot said on Thursday.
“I mainly remember the game we played at Etihad, and we were outplayed for large parts in the first half,” Slot told reporters.
“So, this is another moment to see where we are in the development of this team. We know the importance of a result.”
Liverpool have endured a difficult season so far, but have regained some measure of form in recent weeks.
“It’s the end phase of the season, so results matter more,” Slot said.
“We have not found the consistency for the results, but we have shown against all the [teams], that we can compete.”
Liverpool know there has to be ‘life after Virgil’
Slot also explained the club’s decision to recruit four central defenders during the winter transfer window – Jeremy Jacquet, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya – describing it as planning for life after captain and star centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who will turn 35 this year.
“Hopefully, Virgil can stay fit for multiple years, but this club is not stupid,” Slot said.
“We do know, somewhere in the upcoming years, there is life after Virgil, but that is for every position. We don’t think about short term only.”
Slot singled out the Jacquet for extra praise. The France under-21s defender was also linked with Chelsea, but will move to Anfield in July after Liverpool agreed to a big-money deal to sign him from Rennes, where he will finish the season.
“Such a big talent and another example of the model we’re using at this club,” Slot said.
“Young, very talented players, sometimes at the start of their careers or sometimes already a little bit a few years into their career, but always players that are young and can improve us in the short term but also definitely in the long term.”
Guardiola emphasises mental fortitude ahead of tough trip
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said mental strength separates elite players from the rest as his team prepares for the game against Liverpool.
“The biggest stages and the biggest games always need big personalities,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“I have said many times, it’s not about the skills of the players in the top leagues. In the top clubs, the skills are there. I never know one player that is not good enough to play in the top clubs, it is how you behave.
“How you play in the latter stages of the biggest competitions is what defines you as a player. The mind of the players you have defines the big teams.”
Guardiola said that despite their travails this season, playing Liverpool at Anfield is still one of the toughest away fixtures in football.
“They remain an exceptional team,” he said. “Top-class manager and an exceptional team, no doubt.”
City boss lauds Haaland as ‘world’s best striker’ but won’t confirm Liverpool start
Guardiola insisted Haaland is the “best striker in the world” despite refusing to confirm if the misfiring City star will start Sunday’s crucial clash.
“I don’t know until tomorrow. But all I say is Erling is the best. Erling is the best striker in the world,” Guardiola told reporters.
The 55-year-old also doubled down on his comments about the “hurt” he feels for victims of conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan after Jewish community leaders told him to “focus on football”.
“To be honest, I didn’t say anything special. I think, why should I not express how I feel just because I am a manager? So I do not agree, but I respect absolutely all opinions,” he said.
“What I said basically is how many conflicts there are right now around the globe or around the world. How many? A lot, right? I condemn all of them. All of them.”
Head-to-head
The two clubs have faced each other on 219 occasions, with Liverpool winning 110 of those games, City winning 61, and 58 ending as draws.
While City comfortably won their home league game against Liverpool this season, their only victory away to Liverpool since 2003 came in an empty stadium during COVID restrictions in 2021.
Liverpool’s team news
Slot confirmed that defender Jeremie Frimpong will miss the game, but Joe Gomez could return to the squad to bolster the defensive line.
Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to continue deputising for Frimpong at right-back.
Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni all remain on the sidelines with long-term injuries.
Predicted lineup:
Alisson (GK); Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
City’s team news
City could be without Bernardo Silva, who has a back issue, so Nico O’Reilly could move into midfield to replace him.
Ruben Dias has returned from injury but likely lacks full match fitness and sharpness, so Abdukodir Khusanov will likely start in the centre of defence alongside new signing Marc Guehi.
Predicted lineup:
Donnarumma (GK); Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, O’Reilly; Semenyo, Foden, Cherki; Haaland