Prediction: Liverpool vs Manchester City

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 13/10

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Backed noisily by both the red half of Merseyside and the red half of North London, Liverpool welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday for one of the Premier League’s showcase fixtures.

The hosts begin gameweek 25 sitting four places and eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s side, and—perhaps remarkably—sharing the exact same form across their last six league matches: one win, four draws and a single defeat.

Liverpool

Liverpool finally broke their Premier League hoodoo of 2026 last weekend. After a run of four straight draws and a gut‑wrenching defeat to Bournemouth, Arne Slot’s team rediscovered their cutting edge by sweeping aside Newcastle United.

Despite falling behind to an early Anthony Gordon effort, the Reds roared back through a dazzling display from Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, ultimately cruising to a 4‑1 win. Their comeback qualities have become a defining characteristic: since the start of the 2024–25 season, only three teams have taken more points after conceding the opening goal.

The goals have started to flow at an alarming rate for opponents too. Liverpool have smashed home 15 goals in their last four fixtures across all competitions, fuelled by their six‑goal demolition of Qarabag, a three‑goal win over Marseille, and their recent flurry against Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Yet the table remains tight. A coveted top‑five position still eludes them: Liverpool begin the weekend two points behind Manchester United and one behind Chelsea, while Brentford and Sunderland sit within touching distance should the Reds falter.

Team News

Arne Slot revealed a mixed update ahead of kickoff. Joe Gomez has an outside chance of recovering from a hip injury, but Jeremie Frimpong (thigh) is still unavailable. Conor Bradley (knee), Alexander Isak (leg) and Giovanni Leoni (knee) also remain out.

Slot has little reason to disrupt the XI that dismantled Newcastle. Wirtz, now with nine goal contributions in his last 11 matches—more than any other Premier League player in that span—looks indispensable after managing only three involvements in his first 21 league outings.

Manchester City

Arsenal supporters will once again temporarily switch allegiances this weekend, as Manchester City’s title charge continues to wobble. Spurs delivered the latest setback, mounting an unexpected comeback to draw 2-2 despite City appearing in full control through goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.

That collapse means Guardiola’s side have dropped points in five of their last six Premier League outings, drifting six points behind league leaders Arsenal. City’s faltering run has coincided with defensive instability; they are winless in their last three domestic away matches and have conceded at least twice on each occasion.

They did, however, rediscover some confidence in midweek. A 3-1 win over Newcastle in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg secured a Wembley showdown against Arsenal and reminded everyone of their firepower. Their 3-0 victory over Liverpool in November also puts them 90 minutes away from completing their first-ever Premier League double over the Reds.

Team News

Bernardo Silva remains a significant doubt after sustaining a knock against Tottenham, which kept them out of the cup tie. Rayan Cherki was fit enough to feature from the bench, while Ruben Dias returned among the substitutes after a month out with a hamstring injury.

John Stones (thigh) has resumed training but is not yet match‑ready, and the same applies to Josko Gvardiol (calf), Mateo Kovacic (ankle), Jeremy Doku (calf) and Savinho (thigh). Marc Guehi is available again after missing the cup tie, but Guardiola refused to confirm whether Erling Haaland—whom he described simply as “the best striker in the world”—will start.

Head‑to‑Head

Liverpool were brushed aside 3-0 at the Etihad earlier this season, but Anfield has traditionally been a more daunting venue for Manchester City.

The Reds have lost only once at home to City in the league since 2003, and meetings between these two sides at Anfield often deliver goals, controversy, and momentum‑shifting moments in the title race.

Conclusion

Liverpool are far from the struggling side that travelled to the Etihad earlier in the campaign. Slot now presides over a team combining resilience with attacking fluency, and City arrive burdened by poor away form, defensive absences, and midweek exertions. With Mohamed Salah back in full rhythm, Wirtz producing some of the best football of his young career, and Ekitike thriving alongside him, Liverpool have the weapons to exploit City’s vulnerabilities.

Anfield should be rocking, and the hosts look well placed to land another blow in this year’s title race, even if they aren’t a part of it at this point.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 13/10

Bookmaker: Olympusbet