There is a distinct atmosphere in the air ahead of Sunday.
It is the kind of nervous, electric tension that usually precedes a title decider, but this time, the backdrop feels entirely unprecedented.
When Manchester City step out at Anfield at 4:30pm, the football itself will almost feel secondary to the sheer weight of what has transpired off the pitch.
For every Liverpool supporter who lived through the heartbreaks of 2013-14 and the agonizingly tight title races that followed, the news during the international break felt like a dam breaking.
An independent commission finding City guilty of the vast majority of their 115 Premier League charges isn't just a administrative headline; for us, it strikes directly at the heart of years of raw emotional investment.
While City have lodged an appeal and maintain their innocence, the sense of injustice around Anfield has reached a boiling point.
Can Enzo Maresca’s side withstand what promises to be one of the most hostile, deafening atmospheres Anfield has produced in a generation, or will the emotional storm carry Liverpool through?
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
Recent Form
Liverpool: The Reds start to the domestic campaign has been more of a slow burn, but the signs of momentum are clearly there. Unbeaten through five league games with two wins and three draws, the Reds ground out a hard-fought 1-0 victory away at Bournemouth just before the international pause to climb to sixth in the table.
While we haven't quite hit top gear in the league yet, four wins from our last five matches in all competitions with four clean sheets in that stretch show that the defensive resilience is firmly back intact.
Manchester City: Despite the massive dark cloud hovering over the club off the field, Manchester City have been impeccably clinical on it under Enzo Maresca. They arrive at Anfield boasting a 100% Premier League record after five games, scoring 13 goals and conceding 5.
Their last outing before the break was an absolute chaotic 5-3 thriller against Sunderland, surviving a Brian Brobbey hat-trick to maintain their perfect start. In fact, across all competitions—including the Champions League and EFL Cup City have won six on the bounce.
- Liverpool PL Form: D-D-W-D-W
- Liverpool Form (All Comps): D-W-W-D-W-W
- Manchester City PL Form: W-W-W-W-W
- Manchester City Form (All Comps): W-W-W-W-W-W
Injuries and suspensions
Manchester City
- Phil Foden: Suspended (completing three-game domestic suspension)
- Nico O'Reilly: Minor knock (assessed ahead of Sunday)
- Antoine Semenyo: Ankle issue (assessed ahead of Sunday)
Liverpool
- Alexander Isak: Thigh injury (ruled out)Liverpool Echo
- Cody Gakpo: Ankle injury (ruled out)Liverpool Echo
- Hugo Ekitike: Achilles injury (out for several weeks)
- Conor Bradley: Knee injury (ruled out)
- Giovanni Leoni: Knee injury (ruled out)
Predicted lineups:
Liverpool: Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Munoz; Barcola
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Dias, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Ndiaye, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
What the manager have said:
Andoni Iraola:
"It's an exciting game, at home at Anfield against league leaders. Won all their games. They will go for it, so will we, we have to be ready and help our supporters. I hope we are at the level."
Enzo Maresca:
"It will be a tough game for sure. Tough test. We need to be ready,” he said in Friday’s press conference. The focus has to be about the game but also we know the environment in Anfield is nice and probably it will be worse because of the situation, but we will try to do our best to win the game."
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