Liverpool vs Manchester City Prediction: Reds to reign supreme in another Arne Slot masterclass

The Premier League's top two teams - at least heading into the weekend - meet at Anfield on Sunday (16:00, Sky Sports Main Event) as Liverpool and Manchester City go head-to-head on Merseyside. The sides are in contrasting form with the Reds on a six-game win streak and the Citizens winless in the same number of matches.

Below you can find my Liverpool vs Manchester City prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this contest between two great modern-day rivals.

Team News

Liverpool beat Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday, but victory came at a cost as Conor Bradley hobbled off in the 87th minute and Ibrahima Konate struggled to make his own way from the pitch after the final whistle.

Both are expected to miss Sunday's clash, though the absence of Bradley is tempered by the return to fitness of vice-captain and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been cleared to start against the reigning Premier League champions.

The loss of Konate is colossal, however, given the Frenchman's fine form this season, and recent reports suggest he won't be back until the new year. Jarell Quansah is the most obvious candidate to deputise for 'Ibou' next to Virgil van Dijk in central defence, but Joe Gomez was preferred to the Warrington-born 21-year-old when Konate was withdrawn at half-time against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month due to injury, and provides a more experienced option for head coach Arne Slot.

The Dutchman is also without Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas this weekend, while it could be too soon for Alisson Becker and Federico Chiesa to return, despite both taking part in training over the past week.

Aside from at right-back and in central defence, there could be one or two changes further upfield with Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo itching to start after being restricted to substitute outings in midweek. Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister would be most likely to make way for Szoboszlai, whose running power could help the Reds overrun City in midfield, although taking out either Jones or Mac Allister would be harsh given their superb performance against the Spanish giants.

Gakpo scored Liverpool's second on Wednesday and would come in for one of Darwin Nunez or Luis Diaz if any alterations are made to their forward line.

Football Odds

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after his 'head scratching' and comments in the wake of Tuesday's 3-3 draw with Slot's old side Feyenoord.

City did break out of their five-game losing run but after being 3-0 up until the 75th minute, their Etihad stalemate almost felt like a defeat.

Changes, then, could be in the offing on Sunday, although no one ever really knows with 'Pep'. Erling Haaland bagged a brace against Feyenoord and can be assured of his place up top, but can anyone else really be so sure after recent performances? Even Ederson Moraes, Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden, three of last season's stars, must be fretting over their starting spots after languid displays.

One thing's for sure - Ballon d'Or winner Rodri won't be featuring at Anfield as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season.

John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Bobb are also still out injured, but Ruben Dias returned to the squad on Tuesday and is in line for a first appearance since October 30, while Jeremy Doku is back in training and could play a part this weekend.

Kevin De Bruyne has been eased back to action following his month-plus injury, making four consecutive substitute appearances, but could make his first start since September 18 at Anfield.

Liverpool vs Manchester City Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Liverpool vs Manchester City page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Liverpool are installed as 11/10 favourites to extend their victorious streak on Sunday, giving Slot's side an implied win probability of 47.6%, while Man City are 23/10, or a 30.3% chance, to triumph at Anfield for the first time since February 2021, when they beat the Reds 4-1 in a spectatorless stadium.

Both games last season finished 1-1 and another draw can be backed at 11/4, while a third straight 1-1 scoreline is available at 13/2.

Both teams to score is priced at 1/2 and over 3.5 total goals at 5/4.

Haaland (13/10) leads Mohamed Salah (11/8) in the anytime goalscorer market, although both are 4/1 to be first on the scoresheet.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Liverpool & Yes @ 23/10

Liverpool have failed to win any of their past four meetings with Man City. Still, they're unlikely to have a better chance to break out of that winless run than on Sunday, while they were the better team in their March draw and could count themselves unlucky not to have taken all three points, with a rather dubious no-penalty call going against them in the latter stages.

The Reds also have a fantastic record at Anfield against the Citizens, only losing once since May 2003 - and that was in 2021 without a crowd present due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Despite their dominance in England since the Spaniard's arrival, Guardiola and City have appeared overawed by the occasion and crowd at Anfield, unable to dictate the game or influence proceedings in their usual way. Given their horrendous recent form and the sensational start made to life at Liverpool by Slot, I can't see how any of that changes this weekend.

I think City will at least score, something they have done in four of their last five visits to Anfield, especially as Konate - one of the Premier League stars of the season - has been ruled out. Quansah has shown tremendous promise at such a young age but has looked nervy on occasions when he has played, while Gomez has also been starved of minutes and could be rusty out there if picked.

Haaland is yet to score at Anfield and you can imagine he will be right up for this contest, so between him and his teammates, I'm backing the visitors to net at least once on Sunday, particularly as, even with Konate, Liverpool conceded to Chelsea at home, and let in a couple away at fellow title rivals Arsenal.

Nevertheless, I'm convinced that the Reds will eventually romp to all three points, with Slot looking every bit the perfect Jurgen Klopp successor since his move from Rotterdam during the summer.

Liverpool dusted down reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid in midweek, barely giving the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham a sniff in front of goal, and the opportunity to go 11 points clear of City is too good to pass up, irrespective of injuries.

First Goalscorer - Mohamed Salah (LIV) @ 4/1

Liverpool's main man was, unusually, kept quiet for the most part on Wednesday before a jinking run in the box brought about a foul from Real Madrid full-back Ferland Mendy, who conceded a penalty to hand Salah the chance to extend the Reds' lead.

The 'Egyptian King' failed to take advantage of that opening from 12 yards, however, as he sent his scuffed spot-kick wide. Gakpo spared his blushes just six minutes later, though, so Salah's miss didn't prove costly.

The 32-year-old has only scored once in five European appearances this season but he's been much more prolific in the Premier League, firing 10 goals in 12 games, including six across his last five - netting at least once in each. The first of those, in a 2-1 win over Chelsea on October 20, was the opening goal of the match which, remarkably, remains the only time in 2024/25 so far that he has scored the first goal.

However, he was first on the scoresheet in both league meetings between Liverpool and City in 2022/23 and will be desperate to make up for his one-game goal 'drought' this week, so I think Salah is a great price at 4/1 to open the scoring on Sunday.

Offers

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