Key Facts
- Liverpool go into the game in sixth place (39 points), City in second (47) – three points are important for Slots’ team in the top-four race and keep Guardiola’s pressure on Arsenal high.
- After a 6-0 win over Qarabag and a 4-1 comeback against Newcastle, with Ekitike scoring twice and Wirtz setting the pace, Liverpool showed their usual weaknesses in the league with a 3-2 win at Bournemouth.
- City won against Galatasaray, Wolves, and Newcastle, but after a 2-2 draw at Tottenham and a 3-1 defeat at Bodø/Glimt, they remain vulnerable on the counter, while Haaland has not scored from open play since the end of December despite 20 league goals.
- Defensively, both squads are depleted: City are missing Dias and Gvardiol, Stones is uncertain, while Liverpool are planning without Bradley, Leoni and Bajcetic, and Frimpong’s hip injury opens up the right-back question.
- In direct comparison, the last five league games have been remarkably controlled: each has had fewer than 3.5 goals, four even fewer than 2.5, and there has never been a draw at halftime.
- Bookmakers see Liverpool as slight favorites (home win around 2.3); at the same time, Liverpool’s 80% rate for over 1.5 goals after the break recently and City’s goals in four of five second halves support the idea of late goals.
Liverpool vs. Manchester City rarely needs promotion, but this time Anfield seems like a real yardstick for both teams. Slots’ team is sixth with 39 points and needs to make up ground in the race for the top four, while Guardiola’s City arrives in second place with 47 points, still within reach of Arsenal but with pressure from Aston Villa breathing down their necks. The last league match in November ended 3-0 for City, with Slot admitting at the time that Liverpool were clearly inferior. That’s exactly why the exciting approaches this time sound like a reaction – Liverpool to win, both teams to score: Yes and Over 1.5 goals – 2nd half.
- Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
- Date and time: 08.02.2026, 5:30 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (matchday 25)
“Both teams to score: Yes” fits two attacking lines that continue to apply pressure, even though Haaland is currently without a goal and Semenyo is adding a new dimension. Over 1.5 goals – 2nd half is the bolder approach, but recent patterns suggest that games open up after the break.
Liverpool form & record check
The past few weeks have been the clearest evidence yet of Slots’ narrative of rebuilding. In the Champions League, they swept Qarabag off the pitch 6-0, then turned Newcastle over 4-1 at Anfield Road, with Ekitike scoring twice and Wirtz setting the pace. Slot talks about better pressing and higher work rate, and that’s exactly what we saw when Liverpool closed the game down after falling behind and gave their opponents hardly any breathing room. The warning light comes from the league profile, because the lower edge was lower there. Bournemouth beat them 3-2, a game that exposed their vulnerability from set pieces, and Burnley held them to a 1-1 draw at home because Liverpool were unable to convert their pressure into clear chances for a long time. With Chelsea only one point ahead and Brentford three behind, the air is thin. Add to that the absences of Bradley and Leoni, and Slot himself has hinted at how quickly squad depth could become an issue.
Slot is likely to stick with his familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alisson behind a back four that will most likely consist of Frimpong, Konaté, van Dijk, and Kerkez. The build-up play will largely involve the double pivot of Gravenberch and Mac Allister, allowing Wirtz to pull the strings as the central link-up player behind Ekitike. Salah and Gakpo are likely to start on the wings, both of whom like to move into the half-spaces to support pressing and counter-pressing. With Bradley and Leoni out and Bajcetic also unavailable, Liverpool’s depth in defense is noticeably stretched. Isak’s broken fibula suggests that Ekitike will start up front again.
The big question remains the right-back position, as Slot has said Frimpong is out with hip problems. If he is unable to play, Gomez seems the most obvious replacement, provided his own hip problems don’t limit him to a place on the bench.
Man City Form & Record Check
City’s recent results across all competitions show that familiar mix of control and sudden bursts of pace. In Europe, they beat Galatasaray 2-0, in the league they took care of Wolves 2-0, and in the League Cup they won 3-1 against Newcastle in the semifinals, with Marmoush scoring early and Reijnders adding another. The hiccup was the 2-2 draw at Tottenham, when they let a lead slip, and the 3-1 defeat at Bodo Glimt, which showed once again how vulnerable they can look when the transition moments go against them. Two personnel issues complicate the picture somewhat. Haaland continues to lead the Golden Boot race with 20 league goals, but the lack of goals from open play since the end of December suggests that City’s chances are not quite matching their dominance. On the other hand, Donnarumma’s number of clean sheets keeps him in the race for the Golden Glove, but the absences in front of him weigh heavily, with Dias and Gvardiol missing and Stones far from certain to be fit in time. This makes City’s stability, especially around Rodri, even more important at Anfield Road.
Guardiola is likely to stick with a 4-3-3 formation for City, with Donnarumma behind a back four of Lewis, Guéhi, Aké, and Aït-Nouri. With the ball, Lewis could move into midfield to support Rodri in setting the tempo, while Reijnders and Bernardo Silva provide balance with their running and control around him. Up front, Haaland should remain the focal point, with Foden and Doku providing the right angles and runs. The biggest problem lies in defense, with Dias and Stones still out and Gvardiol out long term, so the duo of Guéhi and Aké seems the most obvious choice on paper. Kovacic is also unavailable, which almost automatically pushes Reijnders into the team as an additional passer alongside Rodri. Savinho’s absence is likely to make Doku the first winger, with Semenyo or Marmoush possible alternatives if Guardiola makes further adjustments.
Liverpool – Man City Head-to-Head Comparison & Statistics
The last five league encounters have been more about control than chaos. City’s 3-0 win came in November 2025, but Liverpool had responded with a 2-0 away win in 2025, and they also beat City 2-0 at Anfield Road in 2024. The other two meetings in 2024 and 2023 ended 1-1 each. In this series, the total number of goals scored remained below 3.5 each time, and in four of the five games, it was also below 2.5. The pattern half by half is striking, as none of these five games went into halftime tied, so someone usually took the lead first. Interestingly, the second halves were often very controlled, with a five-game streak of under 1.5 goals after the break, even when the final score looked clear. Liverpool has also won the second half in three consecutive games in this head-to-head comparison, which smacks of good game management and substitutions that shift things around late in the game.
