Coming off of a disappointing exit from the Champions League playoff phase at the hands of Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will soon face off against another giant in the form of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Many — including this writer in particular — tipped City's midweek UCL match for survival against Real Madrid to be a close but ultimately futile endeavor for the Citizens. In the end, though, they couldn't even manage that. A Nico González consolation goal for City doesn't do much to flatter the 3-1 scoreline, with Madrid winning 6-3 on aggregate.
The mismatch of Kylian Mbappe running at Abdukodir Khusanov, who was playing out of position at right back, proved to be lethal — the Frenchman coming away with a hat trick on the night. While, due to injury, options do not abound for Guardiola in all areas of the pitch, it still seems curious that he he would play a young new-signing out of position against one of the best goal scorers in the world on such an occasion. In the words of Barry Glendenning on The Guardian's Football Weekly podcast, it just seems a bit unfair to him.
City's next game, versus Liverpool, is no simpler challenge. But it is shaping up to be a fascinating display, with the home side far from their best and the visiting Liverpool in the midst of what some would consider a "blip."
About the blip ...
While there's no doubt that Liverpool have left points on the table recently, they've still not added to their single Premier League loss of the season. Upon closer inspection, the one loss and two draws that represent their ostensible dip in form are not straightforward failures. Against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup, it was primarily Liverpool's second team that fell short — and drawing against an energized Everton at Goodison in the Merseyside Derby and Unai Emery's excellent Aston Villa, as the Reds did, is far from embarrassing. Within all that is a win against Wolves despite not playing their best.
Make no mistake, Liverpool have shown vulnerabilities that some teams in the Premier League will be eager to test, but — and it does feel crazy to consider this — Manchester City just don't seem to be a team that is likely to do so.
In order for that to be true for Liverpool on Sunday, a few things need to happen. Primarily, they need to finish their chances. But defensively, Ibrahima Konaté will need to be at his best. The French center-back may have marginally less of a reputation than his partner at the back — the imposing Virgil van Dijk — but he's been the Reds' most valuable player in eliminating threats and pushing the ball out of the back — often venturing further out further than van Dijk to make the risky but necessary challenges that bail out a certain right back who tends to find himself in trouble. Against Wolves, Konaté was somewhat lucky not to be sent off on a second yellow card. He'll need to be mindful and stay on the pitch against City to have the impact his team need from him.
Manchester City vs. Liverpool, team news, predicted lineups and score
Much of Pep's ailing squad are back up and running, but striker Erling Haaland is considered questionable after suffering a knock and missing out on the game against Madrid. Smart money is on the Norwegian being fit for Sunday.
Frustratingly for Liverpool's Joe Gomez, he's had to undergo surgery after just making his return from a long-term injury. Arne Slot has stated that the defender may be back just before the end of the season. Connor Bradley is being assessed for an injury of his own, and has no official return date — but Cody Gakpo is expected to be available against Manchester City.
Manchester City predicted line up: Ederson, Khusanov, Dias, Aké, Gvardiol, Kovačić, De Bruyne, Gonzalez, Foden, Haaland, Marmoush
Liverpool predicted line up: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
Predicted Score: Manchester City 0-3 Liverpool
How to watch Manchester City vs. Liverpool
- Date: Sunday Feb. 23
- Start Time: 11:30 a.m. EST
- Location: Etihad Stadium — Manchester, England
- Watch: Peacock
Kickoff for the match is 11:30 a.m. ET, on Sunday, Feb. 23. The game will be streaming exclusively on Peacock.