Man City vs Liverpool: Match preview, head-to-head, team news, key players

Manchester City host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.

The two sides head into this fixture on the back of impressive outings in the Champions League.

City thrashed Borussia Dortmund 4-1, while Liverpool recorded a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid.

Match preview

City are one point ahead of Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s showdown – a sign of their improvement from last season.

Pep Guardiola’s side have become less possession-oriented than in previous seasons, ranking fourth in average possession per game in the league.

They boast the best attack, while only Arsenal have conceded fewer goals than them.

The Reds have endured a poor start to the season, losing four straight league games before returning to winning ways against Aston Villa last weekend.

Liverpool have one of the league’s best attacks, but their defensive frailties have proved costly.

Despite keeping a clean sheet in the last two games, their defensive struggles might be exposed against City, whose attack is led by Erling Braut Haaland.

Head-to-head

City have won 60, drawn 58 and lost 110 matches against Liverpool in all competitions.

Team news

Mateo Kovacic is the only fitness concern for Man City.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremie Frimpong remain sidelined for Liverpool, but Alexander Isak could return.

Key players

Man City

Erling Braut Haaland: The Premier League’s top scorer with 13 goals in 10 matches.

Phil Foden: City’s best performer against Dortmund and joint-second in goal contributions in the league.

Liverpool

Dominik Szoboszlai: The Reds’ best performer this term and one of the division’s best all-round midfielders.

Mohamed Salah: He has scored 13 goals against the Cityzens – only against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United has he scored more.

Stats from transfermarkt.com, 11v11.com & sofascore.com.