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.
Team News
Manchester City
‘Pep Guardiola has confirmed that City have a fully fit squad to select from, bar Ruben Dias and Cole Palmer, ahead of Sunday’s key Premier League clash at home to Liverpool.’ – Manchester City’s official website revealed.
“Everyone is fit. Ruben, no and not Cole Palmer,” the Spaniard confirmed.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp is expected to have everyone fit for the trip to Manchester.
‘Fabinho was ‘completely fine’ after his cut to the head towards the end of the Champions League win at Benfica in midweek.’ – Liverpool’s official website stated.
“When I looked last time on my smartphone, it looked like everyone is available again,” Klopp said at his press conference on Friday morning.
“We will be prepared. We both played Tuesday, so we had enough time to prepare the game, to recover. That’s good. How I said, let’s go.”
Talking Tactics
Jurgen Klopp will probably opt for the 4-3-3 formation with several tweaks from the last game. In defence, Joel Matip might get the nod over Ibhrahima Konate, whereas Thiago Alcantara looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
The German tactician will be looking to make the most of Ruben Dias’ absence in defence as the Portuguese centre-back is set to miss out on the clash. However, it would be interesting to see how effectively they can make their chances count against the City defence that has kept four clean sheets in their last five matches across all competitions.
On the other hand, Guardiola is also set to continue with his preferred 4-3-3 formation, with Phil Foden expected to lead the line for the hosts on Sunday.
“We know how important it is.” – said Pep when asked about the weight of the fixture.
“(Do I enjoy these games)? Absolutely.”
“In the Premier League in the time I have been here, except the first season, from then on the last five years they have been an incredible marvellous contender.”
“It is always a good game. I have said many times how I admire what they do. At the same time, I enjoy this challenge a lot.”
“I am very pleased to face that on Sunday and next week. Jurgen (Klopp) is as big a rival as I have had in my career. I think what both teams propose is good for football.”
“Both teams try to be ourselves.”
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City: Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Laporte, Walker; Rodri, Bernardo, De Bruyne; Grealish, Foden, Mahrez
Liverpool: Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Matip, Trent; Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson; Diaz, Jota; Salah
Prediction
Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool.
