Manchester City will entertain Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening as they look to secure a positive result and close the gap to the Reds at the top of the Premier League table. Pep Guardiola’s players were victorious against Olympiacos in midweek, but they can expect a sterner test from the Merseyside giants this weekend.
The Mancunian outfit will probably set themselves up in a 4-2-3-1 formation as Guardiola looks to name Gabriel Jesus in his starting XI after his goal-scoring cameo off the bench in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week.
4-2-3-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Liverpool
Defence
Ederson will feature in goal for Man City after he secured three consecutive clean sheets across all competitions. The Brazilian keeper can expect to be tested far more when the Premier League champions come to town this weekend. Ruben Dias is expected to resume his defensive partnership with Aymeric Laporte at the centre of Guardiola’s defence as they try to restrict the Liverpool front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah from creating too many chances in the final third.
Kyle Walker has been in fine form for Man City of late, so he will once again try to produce an impressive showing as the right-back. Joao Cancelo could keep his place on the other side as the left-back. Both full-backs would be instructed to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack as they can expect to have a challenging time in defence while up against the pace of Mane and Salah out on the wide areas.
Midfield
Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri will operate as the holding midfielders as they focus on providing adequate protection for their teammates at the back. The gifted trio of Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva could get the nod to play just ahead of them as part of Guardiola’s attack.
Silva might be preferred over Riyad Mahrez as the Portuguese attacker will work his socks off towards stopping Andrew Robertson and Sadio Mane from causing too much damage out on the flanks. Mahrez will have to be content with a spot on the bench alongside Phil Foden as they both look to influence the game in the second half if needed.
Attack
Gabriel Jesus will once again spearhead the Man City attack up top. The Brazilian striker managed to find the back of the net versus Olympiacos in midweek which will give him a confidence boost ahead of this weekend’s clash at the Etihad.
Ferran Torres will serve as a back-up to Jesus on the bench but could come on to make an impact towards the latter stages of the contest if Guardiola decides to call upon his services.
