We spoke to the Manchester Evening News' chief Manchester City writer Simon Bajkowski to get the lowdown on Liverpool's visitors in Sunday's mammoth Premier League clash
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, speaks with his player Erling Haaland ahead of being substituted onto the field during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on February 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola rested Erling Haaland in midweek and saw his replacement Omar Marmoush score twice, giving the Manchester City manager a dilemma for Sunday's big clash at Liverpool (Image: Kate McShane/Getty Images)
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Liverpool face a real acid test of their current form against Manchester City on Sunday, after 10 goals in two games against Qarabag and Newcastle United.
City won the reverse fixture 3-0 at the Etihad, but Arne Slot will be determined to settle the score at Anfield.
The Reds have impressed since the galling 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth two weeks ago, but Pep Guardiola's side will be a different test altogether. Despite an inconsistent season, no team has scored more goals than them in the Premier League so far this season.
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Remarkably both sides have won just one of their last six Premier League games and Liverpool find themselves in sixth, and four and five points behind Chelsea and Manchester United respectively in the race for Champions League football, while City are second but now nine points behind leaders Arsenal after their 3-0 win at home to Sunderland on Saturday.
A mammoth match for both, then. And to get the lowdown from the blue half of Manchester, we spoke Manchester Evening News' chief Manchester City writer Simon Bajkowski...
A strange season for City from the outside perspective - still competing on all fronts but it’s been inconsistent - what have you made of it so far?
It's been pretty consistent - that's why they're in a cup final (Carabao Cup) and still challenging for four competitions. City have been much, much better than they were last season. They're not at full strength yet and injuries have derailed them in January but they are a completely different team than they were this time last year when they were meek against Liverpool home and away.
City have signed Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, who were both linked with Liverpool - what kind of an impact have they made so far?
They've both been brilliant. City arguably wouldn't be in the Carabao Cup final without Semenyo and Guehi steadied them in the Premier League after they'd started to wobble. City have made a lot of the fact that, at 26 and 25 respectively, they will be around for years, but they've had an instant impact.
Do you agree with Rodri’s suggestions that officials aren’t refereeing City games neutrally?
Rodri did, which was silly, but he knows that and while he has to take responsibility for his words it is also natural to be frustrated after a game - he once said at Anfield that City had been the better team after they'd been battered. Pep Guardiola has gone on about a lot of refereeing decisions being spectacularly bad, and a lot of them have been. It's just they have been for pretty much every club, which is how you know there's no conspiracy - just ineptitude.
It’s three years this month since City were hit with 115 charges by the Premier League for breaching financial regulations. How big an impact, if any, has that wait had on the club and the mood around it?
Pretty much none. Everyone gets on with their business while the wait goes on.
Pep Lijnders was credited with influencing “Liverpool 2.0” in Jurgen Klopp’s final few seasons. Have City felt his impact this season?
Yes, he's been excellent. He's helped Guardiola and also provided useful experience for an inexperienced squad. City have lost most of their senior players over the last three transfer windows so they need all the seniority they can get, and Guardiola is always better when he has strong assistants.
When Guardiola eventually does move on from City, who would you most like to see appointed as the new manager?
Whoever gives the most access to journalists and the best press conferences. That doesn't seem like a particularly long list, but Thomas Tuchel could be fun if he fancies a new challenge after winning England the World Cup in summer. Or, given Lijnders is already in place, maybe Jurgen Klopp!
Are City fans confident coming up against this version of Liverpool?
I think they are to an extent, but they're never confident about going to Anfield and they're aware that the gap between the two teams is much closer than it was when they met at the Etihad. Liverpool have slowly pulled themselves together while City have been on a mission to stop things falling apart. I don't think any City fan will be surprised by a defeat on Sunday.
What tweaks do you think Guardiola could make for this one?
The two biggest calls he has to make are whether to restore Ruben Dias to the defence and who to start up front. Dias hasn't played for a month so starting him would risk aggravating his previous injury and losing him for longer, but he does give so much to the defence and the team when he plays. Omar Marmoush's two goals on Wednesday will have Guardiola thinking about his front line given Erling Haaland has been out of form for about six weeks and usually struggles at Anfield. It would be a huge call to go without Haaland, but he could go for both.
What’s your score prediction?
1-1.