City arrive at Anfield on Sunday 11 October 2026, kick-off at 4:30pm BST, sitting top of the Premier League with a perfect 15 points from five games, whereas Liverpool are sixth with nine points from five unbeaten matches. The gap in form is real, though City's appeal against over 100 financial rule breaches is still unresolved, a fact the Anfield crowd is unlikely to let anyone forget.
This is the first meeting between Andoni Iraola and Enzo Maresca as managers of their current clubs. Iraola took over from Arne Slot at Liverpool on 4 June 2026, while Maresca succeeded Pep Guardiola at City around 29 June 2026 and both men are managing their first Anfield or Etihad atmosphere as head coaches of these clubs, which is a different kind of pressure to what either faced at their previous jobs.
Liverpool's last five reads D D W D W, the form of a team still finding its shape under a new manager but not yet losing, whereas City have gone W W W W W.
Liverpool are stretched thin. Conor Bradley is out with a knee injury, Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined with cruciate ligament damage, Hugo Ekitike is unavailable with an Achilles problem, Alexander Isak misses out with a thigh issue compounded by international duty and Cody Gakpo is absent with an ankle injury also linked to international commitments. Federico Chiesa carries a doubt over a back problem. Bradley Barcola leads the attack alongside Florian Wirtz, with Virgil van Dijk leading a backline that no longer has a natural right back behind him.
City are without Phil Foden through suspension and have doubts over Nico O'Reilly (muscle) and Antoine Semenyo (ankle), though neither absence compares in scale to what Liverpool are managing. Haaland leads the line after five goals already this season, Ruben Dias is at the heart of the defence and Enzo Fernandez dictates City's build up rhythm from deep.
Iraola has built Liverpool around a high press that targets the ball immediately after turnovers and demands constant vertical runs from midfield, forcing turnovers in the final third rather than recycling possession through the lines. Van Dijk leads the backline with limited full back cover in Bradley's absence, while Wirtz is the central creative hub, threading the ball into Barcola who is carrying more responsibility than would normally fall to him. Liverpool will try to press City's build up early, before Fernandez can settle.
Maresca's City still reads like the Guardiola template and the numbers bear it out: Haaland has scored in four of City's five league games this season and his runs in behind are the release valve when City win the ball high. Fernandez's ability to recycle possession allows City to absorb Liverpool's press before releasing Haaland into space and Dias will be tracking Barcola's movement across the channels as much as dealing with a recognised centre forward.
The individual battles that matter most are van Dijk against Haaland, where the defender's aerial ability and positional reading will be tested by the striker's movement and timing and Wirtz against Fernandez in midfield. When Wirtz gets the ball early against a retreating block he is Liverpool's best hope of unlocking City before Fernandez can slow the game down, which is precisely why the first twenty minutes could define the shape of the whole match. Barcola cuts inside from the left and could cause problems in the half spaces though City's defensive block typically handles pace from wide positions well enough to contain the damage.
Liverpool lead the all time record with 17 wins from 44 meetings while City have 13, with 14 draws between them. City won both league encounters during 2025-26 and three wins in the last three meetings at Anfield would be the clearest possible statement of the shift in the balance of power between these clubs.
With five attackers unavailable, Liverpool's most reliable route to goal is van Dijk arriving late at corners. City are the more dangerous side from dead ball situations when at full strength, though Foden's absence reduces their creativity from wide areas. Anfield's atmosphere, wound up further by the financial charges hanging over City, could accelerate Liverpool's press in the opening twenty minutes before legs tire, forcing early intensity that a threadbare squad may simply not be able to sustain.
Liverpool 1-2 Manchester City. City are the only side in this match with a fully functional attack and that matters more than Anfield's atmosphere when Liverpool are missing their right back, two of their most direct attackers and their most recent striker signing. Wirtz and Barcola will create moments and Liverpool will probably nick something from a set piece or a late counter but Haaland's movement in behind and City's perfect start make them the clear pick for the three points.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
