Manchester City host Liverpool in a pivotal Premier League clash marking Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game. Arne Slot’s champions arrive revived after back-to-back clean-sheet wins, while Erling Haaland and Phil Foden spearhead an in-form City.
Here is team news, predicted lineups, quotes and key context ahead of a title-shaping showdown at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola reaches an extraordinary milestone on Sunday as he takes charge of his 1,000th match as a manager. Eighteen years on from his debut in the dugout, the Catalan marks the occasion with a fixture he openly admits is as fitting as it gets.
He even conceded Liverpool would be his preferred opponent for such a moment
“maybe aside from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.”
City arrive with a one-point and one-place advantage after ten games, but Arne Slot’s reigning champions have rediscovered their conviction at just the right time.
Game No. 999 delivered a comfortable Champions League victory for Guardiola’s side, a 4-1 dismantling of Borussia Dortmund fuelled by Phil Foden’s best performance in months and the latest obligatory Erling Haaland strike. The Norwegian now holds yet another record: the first City player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches.
Victory at the Etihad could move City within striking distance of Arsenal provided Sunderland take points off the league leaders on Saturday night. Ten goals in their last three outings suggest Guardiola’s side have hit a familiar gear.
Liverpool Rediscover Structure and Steel
That statistic would have given the Liverpool of late September and October an uneasy feeling. Slot’s side had endured ten matches without a single clean sheet during that period, leaking goals and confidence in equal measure.
But the mood has changed. A 2-0 win over Aston Villa steadied nerves, though the true turning point came in midweek: a deserved 1-0 triumph over Real Madrid at Anfield, only thwarted from being greater by Thibaut Courtois’ reflexes.
Slot referred to his side’s recent run as “consistent losing,” but the champions now sit back on the podium places in the Premier League and look more like themselves.
There is still an issue to confront. Liverpool have lost their last three away league matches and risk a fourth straight defeat on the road for the first time since April 2012. Slot, though, has already beaten City twice the pair of 2-0 victories last season yet Liverpool have never won back-to-back away games against the Citizens in Premier League history.
Mothering Sunday presents its typical logistical rush for supporters ahead of a 16:30 kick-off, but both clubs know the significance of this fixture extends far beyond the calendar.
City’s Form and Liverpool’s Response
Manchester City have lost just once since early September and have won six of their last seven in all competitions. Haaland’s 13 goals in ten league games need no embellishment; Foden and Jérémy Doku have been just as influential in the layers beneath him.
Liverpool, by contrast, have had to rebuild their foundations. Two clean sheets, including one against their Champions League nemesis Real Madrid, have given them a badly needed reset.
Andy Robertson’s return has stabilised the defensive unit, reclaiming his place from Milos Kerkez without question. Further ahead, the restored axis of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister has underpinned a more balanced midfield.
The Reds won at the Etihad last season on their way to the title their first league win there since 2015 but consistency in this fixture away from home has always eluded them.
Team News
Manchester City
Rodri is almost certain to miss the match, with Guardiola unwilling to risk him before the international break. Mateo Kova?i? remains out with an ankle injury and is set for an extended period on the sidelines.
Liverpool
Liverpool remain without Alisson, while Jeremie Frimpong continues his recovery from another hamstring issue. Stefan Bajcetic, Giovanni Leoni and Jayden Danns are long-term absentees.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City (4-1-4-1):
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; González; Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1):
Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitiké.
Managers’ Views
Arne Slot:
“So, a very interesting game to look forward to because when I wasn’t working here and when I was in Holland I did know when City v Liverpool was or when Liverpool v City was, and I could tell you I was 100 per cent sure in front of my television when this game was there. Similar to the Clasico, by the way, but these are the few games everyone is looking forward to and if you are not part of it, you are looking forward to it as well.”
Pep Guardiola:
“We have to be our best. I know how quickly everything goes here. One week ago, Liverpool, six defeats, was a disaster, won two but now they come back to their best. I’m pretty sure all managers take a little time for more perspective and everyone has ups and downs in the competition. I have a higher opinion about Liverpool right now. Last season we were losing six games in seven games, it’s the same.”
