Pep Guardiola's 1,000th game as a manager could hardly be a more fitting one, as the Spaniard's Manchester City host Premier League champions Liverpool in Sunday's blockbuster battle.
The Citizens have a one-point and one-place advantage over the Reds in the top-flight table after 10 matches, although Arne Slot's wounded winners have rediscovered their mojo at the ideal time.
Match preview
When Guardiola took charge of his first professional football match, the late Sven-Goran Eriksson was in control of the reins at Man City, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were working in tandem at Manchester United, and Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston was at the top of the UK singles charts.
Just over 18 years later, the Catalan coach hits a fabulous four-figure total in Sunday's Etihad extravaganza, and the Catalan coach has unsurprisingly said that he could imagine no better opponent for the landmark occasion than Liverpool - maybe aside from Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
Game number 999 for Guardiola was a memorable one for the right reasons too, as his Sky Blues side were convincing 4-1 victors over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, thanks in no small part to an inspired display from Phil Foden before his England recall.
Of course, there was also the customary goal for Erling Haaland, who became the first City player to find the back of the net in five straight Champions League matches after his brilliant brace in the 3-1 top-flight beating of Bournemouth last weekend too.
Victory on Sunday could now take the second-placed Citizens to within just three points of Arsenal - if Sunderland can stun the current leaders on Saturday evening - and the Sky Blues' 10 goals in their last three games paints a pretty picture for the Etihad faithful.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot on October 29, 2025
The Liverpool side from a few weeks ago may have shivered at that statistic, having failed to keep a single clean sheet in any of their 10 matches between September 17 and October 29, but Slot's crop are now steadfast again.
The jury was still out on whether Liverpool were back after their refreshing2-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa, but following a highly deserved 1-0 Champions League victory over Real Madridat Anfield, the corner appears to have been well and truly turned.
Only the obligatory Thibaut Courtois heroics prevented the Reds from beating Xabi Alonso's men by a bigger scoreline on Tuesday, and for all of their consistent losing - as Slot called it in his press conference - over the past few weeks, the champions are suddenly back on the podium spots in the Premier League.
Next on Slot's agenda is snapping a three-game losing run on the road in the Premier League, where Liverpool are at risk of suffering four straight top-flight defeats away from home for the first time since April 2012, when Kenny Dalglish was at the helm.
King Kenny would have watched Man City vs. Liverpool with glee last season, as Slot masterminded back-to-back 2-0 wins over the Sky Blues in the 2024-25 Premier League, but the Reds have - rather astonishingly - never won successive away games against the Citizens in the competition.
Manchester City Premier League form:
D
W
W
W
L
W
Manchester City form (all competitions):
W
W
L
W
W
W
Liverpool Premier League form:
W
L
L
L
L
W
Liverpool form (all competitions):
L
W
L
L
W
W
Team News
Liverpool's Alexander Isak on September 17, 2025
Not for the first time this season, there was no Rodri in Man City's matchday squad against Borussia Dortmund; Guardiola revealed that the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner was not in perfect physical condition and will likely be rested until after the international break.
Fellow midfielder Mateo Kovacic is the hosts' only guaranteed absentee - the Croatia international could be out for months due to an ankle problem - so Guardiola will likely have an identical squad available to him from the drubbing of Dortmund.
Just two goals away from an incredible century in the Premier League, Haaland will break the record for the quickest time to reach 100 in the competition if he scores a brace on his 108th appearance on Sunday, dethroning Alan Shearer (100 in 124 games) in the process.
From one Scandinavian striker to another, Haaland may not come face-to-face with Alexander Isak this weekend, as the Premier League's record signing is still a doubt owing to the groin injury he suffered in Liverpool's UCL win over Eintracht Frankfurt last month.
Even if Isak is given the thumbs-up to make the squad, the Sweden international has already been ruled out of the starting lineup by Slot, who is also without Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring), Alisson Becker (hamstring) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) this weekend.
After capitalising on Emiliano Martinez's error against Villa, Salah's next goal or assist in the Premier League will see the Egypt international set a new record for involvements for one club in the competition - his current total of 276 matches Rooney's top-flight contributions for Man United.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez; Cherki, Silva, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike
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We say: Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool
Liverpool's defensive nous was not put to the test as much as expected against Real Madrid, but a red-hot Haaland, an in-form Foden and creative hub Rayan Cherki will pose an incredibly stiff challenge to the Reds' newfound rearguard solidity.
The visitors are working with an extra day's rest and have also seen several individuals get back into the groove, but owing to the sheer embarrassment of attacking riches in Guardiola's squad, we cannot envisage Slot's side spoiling Guardiola's 1,000th-game parade.
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