Man City – Liverpool Preview

Manchester City hosts Liverpool at the Etihad in a match from the 26th round of the English Premier League. This is a big derby to watch, so stay with us and our free soccer predictions for today. Here we go!

Manchester City are having a season to forget. The Cityzens are 4th in the league with 44 points which puts them 17 points behind the leader Liverpool. City are not in the title race anymore, but what they need to do is secure their place in Top 4. It’d be a huge disaster if they don’t qualify for the Champions League.

For City this match comes just a few days after their Champions League elimination against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Once again City conceded three times against the reigning champion of Europe. Nico Gonzalez scored his first goal for the club, but it happened in a moment when Madrid were already three goals ahead.

The big question now is if Erling Haaland will return on the pitch. The Norwegian striker missed the game against Real Madrid because of a knee injury. He was ready to play if needed, but Guardiola decided not to risk his health.

If Haaland is not ready to start then most likely Omar Marmoush will be his replacement at the top of the attack. The Egyptian international scored a hat-trick during the 4-0 win against Newcastle United in the previous round.

Erling Haaland’s performances have been crucial for Manchester City this season. The striker leads the club in scoring with 19 goals, making him the league’s second-highest scorer. Notably, five of those goals were the opening strikes in matches.

John Stones left the pitch injured after just 8 minutes against Real Madrid. The defender was replaced by Nathan Ake and most likely won’t play on Sunday. Meanwhile Guardiola has to decide if he’s going to start Abdukodir Khusanov on the right back position again. Khusanov didn’t have the best game at the Bernabeu as he faced a lot of problems against Vinicius Jr.

Nico Gonzalez could become a key player for Man City given the circumstances. The Spanish midfielder looks like the natural replacement for Rodri who got injured at the beginning of the season. Nico is a dynamic midfielder who can do a lot of work in the middle of the pitch. We expect to see him start against Liverpool, too.

Liverpool are moving closer and closer to their 20th title in the Premier League. The Reds are at the top of the standings 61 points which puts them 8 points ahead of the second Arsenal. Arne Slot’s team dominates the league and they don’t have much competition for the gold medals.

At this moment Liverpool have just one defeat since the beginning of the season – the one against Nottingham Forest in September. They have won 18 of their 26 matches played. Liverpool are aware that a win at the Etihad would move them closer to the title.

Mohamed Salah is the big ace in Arne Slot’s sleeve. The Egyptian super star is leading the Premier League goalscoring charts with 24 goals scored. This puts him five goals ahead of Man City’s Erling Haaland.

It’s still not clear if Cody Gakpo will be fit on time to face Manchester City. The Dutch striker is recovering from his latest injury, but he could be ready to face the champion on Sunday night. If Gakpo is not ready to play, most likely Diogo Jota will replace him in the line-up. The Portuguese international started Liverpool’s last few matches. Another option is Darwin Nunez, but it doesn’t seem likely, especially after his big miss against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Arne Slot took an interesting decision against Aston Villa. The Dutch manager put Luis Diaz on the bench and replaced him with Curtis Jones. Now we believe that Diaz will return in the line-up as Liverpool could use his pace and technique to hurt Man City’s defense. The Colombian winger could cause a lot of problems to Man City’s right-back.

Liverpool have had the upper hand over Manchester City recently, remaining unbeaten in their last three Premier League encounters. City are still seeking their first league win against the Reds since April 2023. During this period, Liverpool have outscored them 4-2.

Manchester City have recorded eight wins, two draws, and two losses in their 12 Premier League home matches this season. Meanwhile, Liverpool remain unbeaten in league away games, securing nine wins and five draws on the road.

These are our free soccer predictions for today for the upcoming Premier League derby between Manchester City and Liverpool. Taking into account how these two teams perform this season, we believe that Liverpool have the upper hand here. They are favorites to secure the win, but don’t underestimate Man City – despite all their problems, they remain a fearsome team to play against.