Liverpool vs Man City preview | Latest team news | Expected Line-up’s | Prediction

Premier League leaders Liverpool take on defending champions Manchester City in a titanic clash at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds head into the game sitting six points clear at the top of the table having dropped just two points in their opening 11 games so Jurgen Klopp’s men can open up a huge nine-point advantage with victory tomorrow.

Pep Guardiola knows such a lead would be extremely difficult for City to claw back against the European champions so they can’t afford to lose on Sunday afternoon or a third consecutive title could be out of reach.

However, an away win for Man City would reduce the gap on Liverpool to just three points and blow the title race wide open so it’s all to play for at Anfield this weekend.

Liverpool warmed up for the game with a 2-1 victory over Genk in the Champions League on Tuesday night while Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta in Italy after having substitute goalkeeper Claudio Bravo sent off.

Team news

Liverpool will once again be without defender Joel Matip as he’s still recovering from a knee injury that’s hampered him in recent weeks so Dejan Lovren is expected to replace Joe Gomez in the back four.

Jordan Henderson is fit to return after missing the Genk game through illness while Klopp eased fears over Virgil van Dijk after the centre-back missed training on Thursday. His absence was due to the fact he was in Holland receiving a special achievement award from the King and Queen so Van Dijk is fit and available for selection tomorrow.

However, Liverpool won’t be able to call upon Xherdan Shaqiri as the Swiss international is still recovering from a calf injury but Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane will be recalled after being rested in midweek.

Man City have been dealt a major blow with the news that Ederson is set to miss out after suffering a thigh injury against Atalanta so Claudio Bravo is expected to deputise between the sticks.

David Silva is also out due to a muscle injury while Rodri is expected to miss the trip to Anfield with a hamstring problem. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte also remain on the sidelines.

Expected line-ups

Predicted score

Liverpool 1-1 Man City: Liverpool have lost just one of their last 28 league games against Man City and have tasted defeat just once in their last 50 Premier League games against all opposition. Their record at Anfield is also formidable as they’ve not lost in their last 45 games on home soil so this is going to be an extremely tough game for an injury-hit City team.

However, the defending champions have won 11 of their last 12 league away games so they certainly shouldn’t be underestimated. Guardiola’s men can still field a team packed with quality despite their injury problems so I wouldn’t be surprised if they get something from this game. City can’t afford to lose and Liverpool may be frightened of losing so it could be a bit more cagey than some are expecting. I’m going for a 1-1 draw.