Manchester City will clash heads with second-placed Liverpool at the Etihad on Sunday evening, hoping to pick up a positive result and maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table. The Reds will be coming into the match on the back of an emphatic 3-1 win against Benfica in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, whereas the Citizens recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp will probably opt for the 4-3-3 formation with several tweaks from the last game. Thiago Alcantara might get the nod over Naby Keita in midfield, whereas Joel Matip looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-3-3 Liverpool Predicted Lineup Vs Manchester City
Defence
Alisson Becker should operate between the sticks for the upcoming clash. The Brazilian shot-stopper would hope to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet on Sunday.
Joel Matip will form the centre-half partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s backline.
Andrew Robertson is a guaranteed starter at the left wing-back position, whereas Trent Alexander-Arnold will fill in on the other flank as the right wing-back. The full-backs will be expected to stretch their side’s attack in the opposition half.
Konstantinos Tsimikas will have to settle for a place on the bench, but he could be brought on in the latter stages of the game if needed.
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Midfield
Fabinho might start in the holding midfield position and could be assigned with more of a defensive role to shield the away side’s back-four.
Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara will slot into the central midfield roles. The duo would be determined to set up some clear-cut goal scoring chances for the front men.
Attack
Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah will take up the wide positions, playing on the left and right-wing, respectively.
Diogo Jota will lead the line against Manchester City this weekend. The Portugal international will be hoping to get his name on the scoresheet when he faces off against the defence that has kept four clean sheets in their last five matches across all competitions.
Sadio Mane could come off the bench in the second forty-five minutes of the match.
