Manchester City have little time to lick their wounds after being bounced from Europe earlier than expected as they must refocus for a tricky domestic clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
After barely qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage, Pep Guardiola was helpless as he watched City carved to shreds by Real Madrid on Wednesday, suffering elimination in the playoff round.
Now, the club must turn their sights on simply participating in the top European competition next season. They currently sit fourth in the league standings, knowing that there will likely be five UCL qualifying spots for next year’s competition.
STREAM: Watch Premier League matches, including Man City vs. Liverpool, LIVE on Peacock in USA
Liverpool, meanwhile, are also hoping to put a midweek slip behind them, having drawn with Aston Villa to limp into an eight-point lead at the top.
While the Reds are still clinging to a comfortable enough lead, they have now played an extra game on the rest of the field and don’t feel quite as impenetrable as they did early on in the campaign.
The Jugo Mobile runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
Man City vs. Liverpool lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Pep Guardiola suffered another injury blow in Wednesday’s defeat to Real Madrid as John Stones was forced off in the first half. Pep Guardiola has indicated that Stones may need “months” instead of “weeks” before he can return, as surgery seems to be an option on his muscle injury. That could potentially mean Stones, now 30, may have played his final match for the club, potentially a candidate to depart in the summer.
He joins Manuel Akanji, Oscar Bobb, and Rodri on the shelf, all of whom have missed signifiant time and will likely continue to do so. Bobb was scheduled to return from his broken leg but reportedly twisted his ankle in training, lengthening his return timeline.
Erling Haaland did not feature in the Real Madrid match midweek after tweaking his knee last weekend, but he was on the bench as an unused substitute. He’s considered a doubt for this weekend with no real update on his availability.
Man City predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Khusanov, Ake, Dias, Gvardiol — Nico, Gundogan, Silva — Foden, Marmoush, Savinho
Injured: Haaland (knee, doubt), Stones (muscle), Akanji (calf), Rodri (ACL), Bobb (leg/ankle).Suspended: None.
Liverpool saw Conor Bradley go down with an injury late in the midweek draw with Aston Villa, after he had already come in off the bench. He’s almost surely out this weekend, but there’s very little news on what the prognosis is beyond the next match.
Arne Slot said that Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota are not yet fit for a full 90 minutes which is why neither is able to last a full match just yet. Without Bradley, it’s not clear who could come on at right-back once Trent is withdrawn.
They will hope to have Cody Gakpo back for this match, as Arne Slot called it “a close call” if the Dutchman will be back this weekend, likely down to whether he can return to training before the game. Joe Gomez, meanwhile, is out “for a long time” after another hamstring surgery.
Liverpool predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Alisson (GK) — Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson — Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister — Salah, Jota, Diaz
Injured: Cody Gakpo (knock, doubt), Bradley (muscle), Gomez (hamstring)Suspended: None
Man City vs. Liverpool live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | — | Peacock |
| Canada | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go, Now TV |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema |
