Liverpool vs. Man City: 10 key things as Premier League challengers meet

November 30, 2024
Sam Millne

Liverpool host Man City with a chance to go 11 points clear of Pep Guardiola’s team in the Premier League. Here are 10 key things to know ahead of the weekend’s biggest game.

Liverpool vs. Man City

Premier League (13) | Anfield
December 1, 2024 | 4pm (GMT)

The football world will be watching as Arne Slot‘s Reds play host to another enormous fixture following their statement 2-0 win over Real Madrid at Anfield.

Man City present a different test and, despite their poor form, will pose a challenge to Liverpool who know a win could demoralise their opposition.

1. The points gap

Eight points is the current gap between Liverpool and Man City, who start the weekend as the Premier League‘s first and second-placed teams, respectively.

While Sunday’s away side have recovered from deficits that size before, extending that gap to nine points would feel especially significant given the team’s apparent lack of fortitude.

Before the weekend’s play, Arsenal and Chelsea lay just a point further back than Man City, with 22 each after 12 matches.

2. Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit

At the time of writing, the seriousness of Ibrahima Konate‘s injury is still unknown, but the Frenchman has confirmed he is sidelined and is now focused on recovery.

We do, however, know that Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to start after Slot said as much on Thursday.

With Conor Bradley expected to be out for “about a month,” according to the Times, Liverpool’s usual right-back should slot straight back in after missing the win against Southampton due to a hamstring issue.

Harvey Elliott should start on the bench again, but Diogo Jota and Alisson will both remain sidelined in all likelihood. Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa continues to rebuild his match fitness.

3. Likely Liverpool XI

Like against Madrid, Slot’s main selection conundrums lie in midfield and attack.

We would expect Luis Diaz to start again, but whether that is on the left or through the middle depends on Slot’s decision to play either Cody Gakpo or Darwin Nunez.

Again, the coach will also be forced to choose three from the midfield four of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.

While it would feel harsh to relegate any of the former three, who all started against Madrid, it wouldn’t necessarily be a sign of Slot dropping them. After all, tough games against Newcastle and Everton lie ahead next week.

With Konate unavailable, his place in the team will go to Joe Gomez or Jarell Quansah.

Predicted XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk; Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

4. Pep Guardiola’s worst run

Man City‘s well-documented collapse has been satisfying to watch from an opposition supporter’s perspective.

This is Guardiola’s worst run of his managerial career, having lost five games in a row and gone 34 days without a win.

They did halt that losing streak with a 3-3 draw against Feyenoord on Tuesday, but the nature of the Dutch team’s late comeback made the tie feel more like another loss than a point gained.

The Citizens’ defeat to Tottenham last weekend saw them become the first reigning top-flight champions to lose five consecutive matches in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.

5. Man City team news

One of the reasons for the Mancunians’ poor performances has been their injury list.

As well as missing Rodri, who is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, they will also be without Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku, John Stones and Oscar Bobb for the Anfield fixture.

In Rodri’s absence, Ilkay Gundogan has been playing as their deepest-lying midfielder alongside Matheus Nunes. That is how we expect them to start against Liverpool, too.

They could be boosted, though, by the return of Kevin De Bruyne to the starting lineup, who came off the bench in midweek.

Predicted XI: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Nunes; Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland

6. Last time out

Last season, both fixtures between the teams finished in 1-1 draws with Liverpool coming from behind to equalise in the second half.

The Reds went into March’s meeting at Anfield in second position. While the visitors started the better team, going ahead through John Stones in the 23rd minute, Liverpool came back into the game and dominated after the break.

The second half belonged to the Reds but they didn’t convert their chances that would have put Man City away and place themselves in the driving seat for the title.

After Mac Allister scored from the spot in the 50th minute, he should have had another penalty when Jeremy Doku studded him in the chest. Bizarrely, though, Michael Oliver didn’t deem this a foul.

7. ‘If anyone can, Pep can’

While Liverpool supporters may be confident ahead of the match, Slot knows that Man City are still an exceptionally dangerous side.

With Guardiola hoping to turn the tide on his team’s form, Liverpool’s head coach knows the Spaniard is well-equipped to come up with a solution to their problems.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he came up with another brilliant idea,” Slot said about Guardiola.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise for anyone if he again comes up with something no one has ever thought about before to make his team even stronger. That’s probably one of the reasons he inspired so many managers around the world with all these [things]…

“If there is anyone in this managerial world that can come up with something new, it’s definitely him.”

8. Mo Salah’s record exceptional record vs. Man City

Mo Salah has made more appearances for Liverpool against City (20) than he has against any other team. Like Kenny Dalglish and Gordon Hodgson, he has scored 11 goals, with only Ian Rush (15) scoring more.

Salah has netted in five of his seven league appearances against Man City at Anfield. The only times he failed to score came in October 2018’s goalless draw and last season, when he entered the pitch as a substitute.

Liverpool have conceded 12 goals in 19 games this season. After the same number of matches last season, they had shipped 18.

9. Who is the referee?

Chris Kavanagh is the referee for Liverpool vs. Man City. He took charge of a 1-1 draw between the teams at the Etihad in November 2023.

This season, he has issued four red cards in the Premier League, twice as many as any other referee.

Kavanagh’s assistants at Anfield will be Lee Betts and Darren Cann, while Anthony Taylor takes on fourth official duties. The video assistant referee will be Paul Tierney, with Tim Wood acting as his assistant.