Fresh off massive victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, the Reds will have little time to enjoy their newfound momentum as they visit the Etihad on Sunday for a crucial showdown with Manchester City.
Just two weeks ago, the prospect of a win against City might have seemed bleak. But after those two statement performances, there’s every reason to believe a fire has been relit within this squad.
If Liverpool truly believe they can keep pace with an Arsenal side that has simply refused to lose lately, three points here feel essential.
With City sitting second, one spot above Liverpool, the Gunners would also surely welcome a draw between their closest chasers.
So if the Reds are to leave Manchester with a third straight win, what should fans be looking for in their performance?
1. Keeping the Man City attack limited
Asking for a clean sheet on the road against one of England’s most potent attacks is a tall order.
But, if Liverpool can replicate the defensive cohesion they’ve shown in their recent back-to-back clean sheets, holding City to just one goal would still give them a strong chance to take all three points.
The obvious focal point of Pep Guardiola’s attack is Erling Haaland, who has already scored a staggering 13 league goals as the Norwegian striker looks firmly back to his best after a “quiet” 2024/25 by his standards.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Haaland has often struggled to find the back of the net against them.
He's scored just once in four domestic appearances versus the Reds— his lowest total against any current Premier League club.
Virgil van Dijk, in particular, has shown a real knack for neutralizing him, memorably shutting Haaland down in a one-on-one duel at Anfield.
If the captain can deliver another commanding defensive performance and frustrate City’s biggest threat again, it would be a massive lift for the back line.
Jeremy Doku is another danger Liverpool must account for. While he didn’t score when City hosted Liverpool last season, he repeatedly beat Trent Alexander-Arnold off the dribble and created chance after chance.
The good news for the Reds is that Conor Bradley, now occupying Trent’s position, enters this match fresh off a superb defensive outing against Vinícius Júnior. That performance should give him the confidence needed to take on Doku.
The Belgian is undoubtedly gifted, but Vini Jr. is a Ballon d’Or–level talent— and Bradley handled him brilliantly.
City are stacked with individual quality, but between Liverpool’s recent defensive resurgence and their past showings in this fixture, there’s plenty of evidence to show that the Reds can disrupt Guardiola’s attack.
2. Replicating recent midfield performances
Perhaps the heartbeat of Liverpool’s title charge last season was the midfield trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch.
It now appears that this three-headed engine has returned to its imperious form.
With Gravenberch scoring against Villa and Szoboszlai delivering a picture-perfect free kick to set up Mac Allister’s winner versus Real Madrid, the middle of the park looks as strong as ever.
That’s a major turnaround after early knocks to Gravenberch and some initial rust from Mac Allister briefly threatened the sublime cohesion the trio built last season.
Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s best overall player this season, produced one of his best performances of the title-winning campaign the last time Liverpool visited the Etihad, registering a goal and an assist while covering seemingly every blade of grass.
The Hungarian and the Argentine will almost certainly be asked to push forward again on Sunday.
While Gravenberch has developed a welcome scoring touch— finding the net three times already this season after failing to do so in 2024/25— it may be best for the lockdown Dutchman to prioritize his defensive responsibilities in this matchup.
Rayan Cherki has quickly blossomed into one of City’s most versatile threats, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or drifting wide.
If Gravenberch is tasked with marking the Frenchman, he’ll need to be at his sharpest— and based on recent performances, Arne Slot should feel confident in his ability to keep Cherki quiet.
Gravenberch will also benefit from not having to deal with former City talisman Kevin De Bruyne, as the Belgian left the club in the summer.
This’ll be the first time in forever Liverpool will play at the Etihad without facing him. That’s no small advantage, given De Bruyne tallied a strong 11 goal contributions against the Reds during his Premier League career.
Matches are often won and lost in midfield. While City still possess real threats in the center of the pitch, Liverpool currently look to have the stronger, more dangerous unit— and they must capitalize on that advantage.
3. Threatening play from the wings
Both the midfield and striker Hugo Ekitike have done their part in providing goals this season, but Liverpool’s left and right wings have yet to truly find their stride. Doing so against an opponent like City would be a massive boost in an area of the pitch where the Reds have arguably been most underwhelming this season.
Mohamed Salah— who has recently reasserted his place in the starting XI with a goal against Villa and a strong display versus Real— is just one strike away from reaching double digits in his career tally against City.
It’s impossible to forget that the Egyptian King has also scored one of the greatest solo goals in Premier League history against Guardiola’s side, a reminder of just how much he relishes this fixture.
City have shown real defensive solidity this season, sitting joint-second for fewest goals conceded with just eight.
But Salah has proven that all it takes is a single moment of individual brilliance to break them down and what a thrill it would be if he produced something similar on Sunday.
On the left wing, however, Liverpool find themselves facing more of a dilemma. With their preferred midfield trio essentially locked in, Arne Slot adjusted by starting Florian Wirtz opposite of Salah against Madrid.
It was a wise decision, as if not for a surreal performance from Thibaut Courtois, one of the young German’s five created chances would almost certainly have been converted.
If Slot trusts Wirtz to generate a comparable level of chances against City, the former Leverkusen star should keep his place.
But given Wirtz’s uneven form this season, he may instead turn to Cody Gakpo— a player whose skillset makes him a far more predictable, and perhaps safer, option.
Gakpo also scored against City last season, and if Slot believes the likely frantic pace of Sunday’s match could unsettle Wirtz in his first appearance at the home of one of Liverpool’s fiercest rivals, Cody may well be the one who gets the nod in the Starting XI.
But whether it’s Wirtz or Gakpo, whoever lines up across Salah will need to deliver a truly decisive performance if the Reds are to come away with the win.