Liverpool vs Man City: Latest Team News and Injury Updates
Liverpool’s build-up to Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City has focused more on fitness than formations. The Liverpool vs Man City lineups could be affected by two injury concerns from the international break.
Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are both being assessed at the AXA Training Centre this week.
Isak withdrew from the Sweden squad with a reported minor thigh problem. He returned to Merseyside for further checks with Liverpool’s medical staff.
Gakpo’s issue is an ankle injury. He picked it up while away with the Netherlands.
Reports in the Netherlands say Gakpo has already undergone scans. Neither Liverpool nor the Netherlands have given a timeframe for his return.
For now, both players are doubts rather than confirmed absentees. Their fitness will be assessed ahead of Sunday’s game.
Liverpool go into the game full of confidence after a strong run of form, including our report on the Bournemouth victory. City arrive with a squad largely untouched by fresh injury concerns from the break. That gives their staff more options to choose from than their hosts this week.
For a broader outside view of how both sides might line up, see the Liverpool Echo lineup assessment. It sits alongside this breakdown of the selection puzzle facing Liverpool this week.
Liverpool Injury Matrix and Tactical Selection Rationale
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Player Injury Status
Alexander Isak Minor thigh injury Under assessment
Cody Gakpo Ankle injury Under assessment
No other fresh injury concerns have emerged from the rest of the squad during the break. That limits the selection headache to the front line, where Isak and Gakpo remain doubts rather than certainties. With both attackers in doubt for a start, the shape of these Liverpool vs Man City lineups shifts noticeably going forward.
Predicted Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Alisson starts in goal today. The back four reads Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk and Kerkez. Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai make up the midfield three, with Salah, Chiesa and Wirtz leading the attack.
Konate and Van Dijk continue as the first choice centre-back pairing, valued for their aerial control and composure on the ball. Frimpong offers width and pace down the right. Kerkez provides an overlapping option on the left that should stretch City’s back line.
Gravenberch’s mobility allows him to screen the defence, freeing Mac Allister and Szoboszlai to push forward. Both support the front three when Liverpool have the ball.
Without Isak and Gakpo, the front line needs reshaping. Salah keeps his usual role on the right, cutting inside to link with midfield runners. Chiesa is the likely choice to lead the line centrally, using his movement and directness to occupy City’s centre-backs rather than acting as a target man. Wirtz operates from the left but is expected to drift infield often, combining with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai to overload the middle third.
Manchester City Injury Matrix and Tactical Setup
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Squad Status Detail
Availability No fresh injury concerns reported after the international break
City travel to Merseyside with close to a full squad to choose from. That should give their bench staff more flexibility than Liverpool have this weekend, and it may matter as the game wears on.
Predicted Manchester City XI (4-2-3-1): Ederson starts in goal. Gvardiol and Lewis operate as the full-backs, with Dias and Stones as the centre-back pair. Rodri and Kovacic sit in a double pivot, behind Doku, Foden and Savinho across the attacking midfield line. Haaland leads the line as the central striker.
Ederson continues as first-choice goalkeeper, comfortable both in shot-stopping and starting attacks from deep. Gvardiol at left-back and Lewis on the right give City the option to invert into midfield during build-up. That adds an extra body centrally when Liverpool press. Dias and Stones offer experience and positional discipline at the heart of defence against a Liverpool front line that will look to run in behind.
Rodri sits in front of the back four to control tempo, with Kovacic alongside him providing energy and ball-carrying through the middle. Foden is expected to operate as a free number ten, dropping into pockets between Liverpool’s midfield and defence. Doku and Savinho stretch play from wide areas with their pace and directness. Haaland leads the line as the focal point, looking to exploit any space left by a Liverpool defence adjusting to the absence of its usual front two.
Bench Options and Crucial Tactical Headaches
Liverpool’s bench carries its own significance beyond the usual substitutes. Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott offer creative options in midfield, while Wataru Endo provides a more defensive alternative if the game needs settling down. Conor Bradley adds cover at full-back on either side. If either Isak or Gakpo passes a late fitness test, they may still be named among the substitutes rather than starting. That would give the bench extra firepower in the closing stages.
Liverpool’s defensive solidity has been a feature of recent weeks, and Alisson praised the backline performance after the win over Bournemouth. That’s a sign of the confidence running through the squad even with two key attackers in doubt for the weekend.
That context sits alongside the team news from Bournemouth, which showed how the side has adapted its shape when forced into changes.
City’s Options From the Bench
For City, Omar Marmoush and Oscar Bobb provide direct running from the bench, capable of exploiting tired legs late on. Matheus Nunes offers a more physical option in midfield if the game becomes stretched. James McAtee rounds out a bench with genuine quality. City can change the picture of the match without a significant drop in standard.
The bigger question for Liverpool is how quickly the front three can build understanding without their usual personnel. Chiesa leading the line is a departure from the norm, and Wirtz drifting inside changes the width Liverpool usually generates through Gakpo on the left. City’s staff face a more comfortable task, picking a settled group and trusting their depth to close out a physical fixture at Anfield.
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