The marquee Premier League fixture of the weekend sees Liverpool play host to Manchester City.
Arne Slot will be looking to avoid a repeat of the 3-0 drubbing his side were on the end of earlier this season.
But the Dutchman will have to make do without Jeremie Frimpong, while Joe Gomez’s inclusion in the eleven is doubtful.
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Alisson before Marseille vs Liverpool - UEFA Champions League
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In turn, Dominik Szoboszlai will likely once again fill in at right-back against Pep Guardiola’s side.
It is a must-win fixture for both teams, with City aiming to catch Arsenal, and Liverpool needing to make up ground in the race for Champions League football.
Who is the referee for Liverpool vs Manchester City?
Now, ahead of the tie, the referee for the clash has been confirmed via the Premier League, along with the remainder of the officials on the day.
The man in the middle will be Craig Pawson, with Tim Wood and Mat Wilkes acting as his assistants.
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The fourth official on Sunday is Tim Robinson, while John Brooks heads up VAR, and Blake Antrobus is acting as assistant VAR.
Pawson has an interesting history with Liverpool, specifically former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Back in November 2021, the Reds were beaten 3-2 by West Ham United.
Liverpool were 1-0 down after four minutes of that meeting following Alisson pushing a corner into his own net after Angelo Ogbonna put him under pressure. VAR, following a check, agreed with Pawson’s initial decision that the goal should stand.
Later in the tie, Aaron Cresswell put in a high tackle on Jordan Henderson, but was able to avoid being sent off.
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Following the defeat, as per ESPN, Klopp spoke about Pawson, suggesting he and the VAR official on the day hid behind the technology.
When quizzed on whether referees were relying on VAR, Klopp said: “Not all refs. But he does. Not all refs, it is just the situation. He thinks: ‘OK, let’s see what he says so I don’t miss it.’ He did that today, definitely.
“There was another situation with Trent Alexander-Arnold after a set-piece, the second ball he takes the ball on the volley, goes down, it is not a foul but he has a proper bruise under his foot. So where is that coming from?
“So it is just, ‘don’t do anything, let’s see what VAR is saying’ and then we have a problem with clear and obvious mistake because whoever is then there, hides behind that phrase and then we have two people hiding and in the end we have the wrong decision.”
Craig Pawson record vs Liverpool
During his career to date, Liverpool are the team Pawson has officiated the most (44 games).
He has awarded 49 yellow cards, one straight red card and six penalties in said matches.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have won 30, drawn seven and lost seven when Pawson has been the referee.
Interestingly, he has never shown a red card during a fixture that involves Manchester City, whom he has officiated 30 times.
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