Liverpool - Man City: Anfield on fire

08/02/2026 17:59:00 GameGladiator

Chú thích ảnh — The Reds have demonstrated their powerful attack by scoring 15 goals in their last 4 matches across all competitions. Photo: DM

Arsenal faced little difficulty against Sunderland’s solid defense. The Gunners showed they have the sharpness to break through even the strongest defenses in the Premier League. Arsenal took 14 shots in the match, with 5 on target and 3 of those resulting in goals.

With this win, Arsenal firmly secured the top spot with 56 points, temporarily extending their lead over Man City to 9 points. This gap puts significant pressure on Man City, who must be determined to win their upcoming away match at Liverpool.

Both Liverpool and Man City enter the big clash at Anfield with a must-win mission. Liverpool needs 3 points to fight for a Top 4 spot, while Man City aims to win to keep pace with league leaders Arsenal. A loss would see the Citizens fall further behind Arsenal in the standings.

After four consecutive draws and a shocking loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League, Liverpool unleashed their fury on Newcastle with a commanding 4-1 victory in the previous round. Although they secured their first Premier League win of 2026, Liverpool sits 6th, 14 points behind Arsenal. Their chance to defend the title is fading, and their immediate goal seems to be maintaining a winning streak to compete for a Champions League spot next season.

Liverpool has lost only once in their last 22 Premier League home games against Manchester City.

The Reds have shown strong attacking power by scoring 15 goals in their last 4 matches across all competitions. However, in the Premier League, Manchester United’s resurgence has pushed Liverpool out of the Top 5—a position they hadn’t experienced for many years. Now, under coach Arne Slot, the team is still chasing a Top 4 spot. Liverpool currently trails 5th place Chelsea by 1 point and 4th place MU by 5 points, while Fulham, Brentford, and Sunderland are close behind.

Meanwhile, in the previous round, Man City was held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham. Dropping points in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches, Man City has fallen behind Arsenal.

Before this big clash, Man City regained momentum by defeating Newcastle 3-1 in the League Cup semi-final second leg midweek, setting up a final meeting with Arsenal at Wembley.

Man City crushed Liverpool 3-0 last November. If they win again, the Citizens will achieve back-to-back league victories over the Reds for the first time since the 1936-1937 season.

Manchester City had to play the League Cup semi-final against Newcastle on Thursday, while Liverpool enjoyed a full week to prepare for this match. They can capitalize on Man City’s declining away form, fatigue, and defensive weaknesses to strike a heavy blow to Pep Guardiola’s title ambitions.

An interesting statistic is that Man City is the only Premier League team in 2026 not to have conceded a goal in the first half, while scoring 6 goals themselves. This could set the stage for a comeback scenario in this match, a specialty of Liverpool as experts in turning games around.

Pep Guardiola’s squad is currently on a three-match winless streak away from home, conceding at least 2 goals in each game.

Liverpool loves comebacks. Since the start of last season, only three teams have earned more points than their 28 when trailing in the Premier League. Moreover, in matches where the opponent scored first, only Brighton (42 goals) has scored more than Liverpool’s 41 goals.

A worrying factor for Man City is that their key Norwegian striker Haaland has scored only 1 goal in his last 8 appearances across all competitions. His form has clearly declined. Over the past month, his shots per 90 minutes and touches inside the box have dropped sharply.

The problem is not solely Haaland’s. Man City is also going through instability. Their defense is weakened by injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, while Rodri has yet to regain top form after a long break. Phil Foden has been quiet in many matches. When the surrounding players don’t function smoothly, a striker like Haaland can easily become isolated.

The big showdown between Liverpool and Man City will kick off at 11:30 PM. Given their recent away struggles with no wins in the last three away games, Guardiola’s team may face difficulties on their trip to Anfield.

Expected starting lineups for both teams:

Liverpool: Alisson, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitik.

Man City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Guehi, Ake, Ait Nouri, Rodri, O'Reilly, Cherki, Reijnders, Semenyo, Haaland.