Liverpool face an important journey to the Etihad this weekend as they chase their second Premier League title.
The Reds are eight factors away from Arsenal however they’ve performed a sport extra forward of this weekend’s assembly with Manchester Metropolis.
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And after they had been held to a 2-2 draw by Aston Villa on Wednesday night time, the Gunners now have the prospect to shut in.
Arsenal play earlier than Liverpool journey to Metropolis, which means the hole may be diminished to solely 5 factors by Sunday.
That makes taking up the Premier League champions a frightening job, even when Metropolis are nowhere near their greatest this 12 months.
Pep Guardiola’s males at the moment are trying to seal Champions League soccer for subsequent season after crashing out of Europe in midweek.
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Nonetheless, heading into this one, they’re going through some defensive issues, whereas Liverpool are more likely to be lacking a key participant.
Man Metropolis
After shedding the primary spot briefly, Ederson is again between the sticks as Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Rico Lewis ought to preserve a spot at right-back after Kyle Walker’s January departure, though Abdukodir Khusanov began towards Actual Madrid on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, Khusanov is more likely to need to return to centre-back this weekend after John Stones suffered an damage.
Stones was substituted early on in Spain and now joins Manuel Akanji on the sidelines.
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In the meantime, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake missed the 4-0 win over Newcastle United with muscle tightness.
However Dias was again within the Champions League and can possible begin once more whereas Ake can be match, which means he might characteristic too whereas Josko Gvardiol has made left-back his personal.
Nico Gonzalez’s arrival has lastly added some midfield stability to the Metropolis facet with out Rodri, so he is more likely to begin.
Then, alongside him, there’s a straight struggle between Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic.
Kevin De Bruyne performed no half as Metropolis had been knocked out of the Champions League, which means he’ll be contemporary for this one.
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On the appropriate, there’s the potential to go for the tempo and trickery of Savinho or maybe the guile and craftsmanship of Bernardo Silva.
Phil Foden can even play on both wing, however he will likely be in rivalry for use down the center.
Omar Marmoush scored a hat-trick towards the Toon final weekend and can be a powerful contender.
Marmoush might also find yourself main the road with Erling Haaland a serious doubt for this big sport.
Haaland remained on the bench all sport towards Actual with a knock sustained towards Newcastle and that has raised considerations over whether or not he’ll be match sufficient to begin this Sunday.
Guardiola will now have an enormous determination to make on the subject of risking his celebrity striker or not.
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Manchester Metropolis have misplaced simply one in every of their final 15 Premier League residence video games towards Liverpool (W8 D6), happening 4-1 in November 2015 beneath Manuel Pellegrini.Following their 2-0 win at Anfield in December, Liverpool want to full the Premier League double over Manchester Metropolis for simply the third time (additionally 2005-06 and 2015-16).Liverpool have achieved the Premier League double over the reigning champions six occasions beforehand, greater than another facet within the competitors’s historical past (vs Blackburn in 1995-96, Man Utd in 2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09 and 2013-14, and Chelsea in 2010-11).
Liverpool
For Arne Slot’s males, Alisson Becker will likely be in objective.
Ibrahima Konate was taken off at half-time towards Wolves final weekend, however he began once more towards Aston Villa, so he ought to proceed to associate Virgil van Dijk.
Joe Gomez has been dominated out for almost all of the season with a hamstring damage, which means Jarell Quansah is the one different first-team centre-back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson would be the full-backs, with Conor Bradley choosing up a slight knock.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have grow to be undroppable in the course of the pitch.
Mohamed Salah is definite to be on the appropriate whereas Dominik Szoboszlai ought to be in behind the striker once more.
Cody Gakpo is a doubt after lacking the sport in midweek, so Luis Diaz will probably be on the left, changing Curtis Jones who began out huge final trip.
It leaves Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota for choices up entrance and after Nunez’s horrendous miss at Villa Park, Jota ought to get the nod.
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Since Christmas, solely Liverpool and Arsenal have received extra factors within the Premier League than Manchester Metropolis (17 – W5 D2 L1). Of their eight video games beforehand, Metropolis picked up solely 4 factors (W1 D1 L6).Liverpool are unbeaten in every of their final 13 Premier League video games performed on a Sunday (W11 D2) whereas scoring a number of objectives in every of these matches, since a 1-0 residence defeat to Crystal Palace in April 2024.Manchester Metropolis’s 4-0 victory over Newcastle United was their first Premier League sport this season wherein they didn’t face a single large likelihood, whereas their xG confronted of 0.48 was their third-fewest in a sport in 2024-25.
Man Metropolis vs Liverpool: Date and learn how to observe
This Premier League sport is ready to happen on Sunday, February 23.
Kick-off on the Etihad is scheduled for 4:30pm.
The match will likely be proven on Sky Sports activities Fundamental Occasion and Premier League.
Sky Go clients will be capable to stream by their laptops and cell units.
Alternatively, a NOW TV go can me bought. Extra particulars on the choices right here.
talkSPORT could have updates all through the afternoon, and talkSPORT.com could have all of the motion by our devoted Premier League weblog.
In simply six Premier League matches in 2025, Manchester Metropolis have scored 20 objectives from solely 81 pictures, a league-high conversion charge of 24.7% this calendar 12 months. Their shot conversion between August and December this season was solely 9.6%.Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been concerned in additional Premier League objectives towards Pep Guardiola’s Man Metropolis (since 2016-17) than another participant (13 – 8 objectives, 5 assists). In reality, solely Steven Gerrard (14) has been concerned in additional towards the Residents within the competitors’s historical past (4 objectives, 10 assists).Manchester Metropolis’s Nico González accomplished 100 passes on his Premier League debut towards Newcastle, the second-most by a midfielder on their first look on file (since 2003-04). Probably the most passes accomplished by a participant in his first two video games is 192 by Chelsea defender Thiago Silva in 2020.Man Metropolis goalkeeper Ederson has three Premier League assists this season, greater than the likes of Phil Foden (2) and Jack Grealish (1). He might grow to be the primary goalkeeper ever to help in three consecutive Premier League appearances, with Shay Given in 1998 and Pepe Reina in 2009 beforehand doing so in two in a row.
