Manchester City vs Liverpool match preview: team news, head-to-head, line-ups and predictions

Manchester City vs Liverpool match preview: team news, head-to-head, line-ups and predictions

GOAL previews the Premier League game between Manchester City and Liverpool, with team news, predictions, head-to-head records and key players.

Liverpool travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in a blockbuster Premier League clash on Saturday.

The defending champions are eight points behind leaders Arsenal and cannot afford to slip any further to keep their title ambitions alive.

The two sides last met in the Carabao Cup, where Pep Guardiola’s side earned a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Reds thanks to goals from Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake.

By contrast, Liverpool sit in sixth place with 42 points from 26 games. However, they have a chance to double the championship over the Sky Blues by winning the reverse match at Anfield after a 76th-minute goal from Mohamed Salah.

A win would reduce the gap to number five Newcastle United to three points and if the Magpies drop Manchester United a day later, a place in Europe could be within reach for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

GOAL previews the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool, with team news, predictions, head-to-head results, key battles and much more below.

Team analysis

Manchester City squad news

Manchester City starting eleven

Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte; Rodri, Rico Lewis; Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish; Erling Haland.

Recent form

Manchester City enter this match after beating Burnley 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup to progress to the bottom four of the prestigious cup competition. Haaland scored a hat-trick, Julian Alvarez scored twice while Cole Palmer completed the win with another goal. Before that game, they had scored seven goals against RB Leipzig in the Champions League thanks to a five-star performance from the Norwegian striker.

key figures

All eyes will be on Haaland as the striker was in fine form before club football came to a halt for the international break. The 22-year-old has scored 28 goals in 26 Premier League games and is aiming to break the all-time record for most goals (34) in a Premier League season currently shared by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.

Injuries and suspensions

Phil Foden has undergone surgery in London for acute appendicitis and will not be fit for this weekend’s Premier League game against Liverpool. Haaland didn’t have to visit his national teammates during the international break due to adductor problems but should be fit for the duel.

Tactical approach

Manchester City will seek victory from the first whistle. They are chasing Arsenal at the top and will do anything to get a quick opening to relieve the pressure. Guardiola’s teams like to dominate possession and it shouldn’t be any different against Liverpool.

Liverpool team news

Liverpool starting XI

Alison Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Cody Gakpo, Fabinho, James Milner; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez. Recent form

After a 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Anfield, they lost back-to-back matches against Bournemouth and Real Madrid in the Premier League and Champions League respectively, testament to the inconsistent form that plagued them throughout the season.

Protagonists

Salah will be watching the Reds. The Egyptian has scored 18 goals in 26 Premier League appearances for Liverpool and will once again lead the attack from the right.

Accidents and suspensions

Liverpool have several players on the table, including Calvin Ramsay, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Konstantinos Tsimikas.

But players like Darwin Nunez, Joe Gomez and Luis Diaz are likely to return to the squad. tactical approach

Liverpool are likely to press hard with their three forwards putting pressure on Manchester City’s defenders, who want to play from behind. They should keep things tight in the rear and then spring a counterattack with Salah and Gakpo lighting their afterburners.

The tally has been split evenly over the last five meetings, with Manchester City and Liverpool each winning twice and drawing once.

However, Manchester City have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool (W7 D5), losing 4-1 to Manuel Pellegrini in November 2015.

Preview of the match between Manchester City and Liverpool

Place, date and start time

The Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool will be played at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 1st April. Play begins at 12:30pm BST (8:30am EDT / 5pm IST).

Match predictions and expected results

Both Manchester City and Liverpool are desperate to win, but for completely different reasons. While City chase first place in the Premier League, Liverpool fight for a European place. No doubt it would be a highly controversial deal but Pep Guardiola’s troops should beat the Merseyside side given their home record and current form. Furthermore, Liverpool have struggled on the road this season, with just 12 points from 13 Premier League away games. Key fights to watch out for

It will be an intriguing battle between Haaland and Van Dijk. The defender prevailed in the reverse match at Anfield and the fate of the match could depend on this very important duel between the two. Haaland was troubled by a kidnapping problem and rested at the break while the Dutch defender was busy with his international commitments. Furthermore, the striker enters this game with eight goals in his last two games. Will Van Dijk be able to contain the explosive attacker again? We say: carry it on!

Potential game changers

If Haaland is City’s greatest weapon, then Liverpool have Salah who can single-handedly change the complexion of any match. The Egyptian has scored in all three of Liverpool’s games against Manchester City this season, in the Premier League, Community Shield and EFL Cup, and could make all the difference on Saturday.

Liverpool are looking to double the league title against Manchester City in what would be only the second time in the last 17 seasons, at the start of Klopp’s debut season in 2015/16. A solid defensive performance and a few moments of individual brilliance could definitely turn the tide in their favour.

Haaland has scored 42 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this season, including six hat-tricks (all at the Etihad). Only two players have scored more goals in a single season for a Premier League club (since 1992-93) – 2002-03 Ruud van Nistelrooy and 2017-18 Mohamed Salah (both 44) and another hat-trick on Saturday can help this Norwegian set a new league record.

Whoever wins, fans are expected to catch a high-octane game of football when club football resumes after a brief hiatus due to the international break.