Premier League, Matchday 7/Round 6 | Sunday 11 October 2026 | Kick-off 3:30pm BST | Anfield, Liverpool | Live on NBC/Peacock (US)
The weekend’s EPL biggest fixture sees Liverpool welcome unbeaten Manchester City in Anfield. City top the table as of now with fifteen points after winning the opening five matches in the just opening season, while Liverpool is currently sitting sixth on the table with nine points following a mixed bag of results under coach Arne Slot.
Teams form and league standing
Manchester City are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions and are unbeaten in the league. They have won their last five matches, scoring 14 goals and conceding 3. Liverpool on the other hand have collected four victories in their last five matches across all competitions, netting eight and allowing two, but their overall league record is of two wins, three draws (2-3-0) which means that they are not on title consideration this early on.
Team statistics
Man City also comfortably lead most of the relevant metrics: 2.6 goals per game against 1.4, 1.7 expected-goals against 1.2, and 71% possession against 66%. Liverpool also marginally outnumber City in shots per game (14.0 to 12.8) and chance created (9.6 to 8.8), which indicates that the hosts will also have enough opportunities to score, but are much less opportunistic in front of goal.
Key players
Erling Haaland is the most valuable player in that position, with five goals scored, nine shots on target and 3.2 expected-goals. Antoine Semenyo has recorded three assists. Alexander Isak has four goals and an xG of 1.9 for Liverpool, and Cody Gakpo has provided three assists. Virgil van Dijk has been key to the organisation of Liverpool’s defense and has thus started every single one of these two sides’ recent encounters.
Injury and suspension news
Liverpool’s list of absentees is a long one. Both Alexander Isak, who has a thigh injury, and Cody Gakpo, who has an ankle injury, are doubtful; Isak is expected to be back around matchday. Federico Chiesa (back) is another who is touch-and-go. Giovanni Leoni (cruciate ligament) is also out, while Hugo Ekitiké (Achilles) and Conor Bradley (knee) are long-term absentees into the new year. Liverpool do not have any suspended players.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are without Phil Foden, who is serving the last game of a three-match ban after being sent off against Manchester United; he will be available for City’s next outing. Nico O’Reilly and Antoine Semenyo are doubtful while Jeremy Doku has returned to full fitness after the international break, boosting Maresca in the wide areas.
Home and away form
Anfield is always a tricky place to go and Liverpool will want to make sure they capitalize on their home games after a weak-starting begin of the season. City, though, have only lost 2 of their last 28 away league games vs Liverpool in all competitions, which shows how comfortable Pep Guardiola’s former boys, now guided by Enzo Maresca, have usually felt about going to Merseyside.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strength for Liverpool is Anfield itself, and their frontline with Isak and Gakpo who can punish mistakes, but a vulnerable defensive line and questions in goalkeeping, are worries that shouldn’t be overlooked looking at the injury list . The City advantage is all of the above: possession, a cold-blooded striker in Haaland and a know-how of having a squad that has done this dance many times before including a 4-0 drubbing in April in the FA Cup tie. The only possible drawback for City is that their squad is not as fresh, since they have undergone a very intense start to the season and will have to travel to Paris for the Champions League to face Paris Saint Germain just three days later.
Manager approaches
Arne Slot will likely have Liverpool set to exploit the Anfield atmosphere, pressing City’s build up much high up the pitch, while also weighing the fact that City can really hurt a team in the counter. Maresca’s City will surely try to control possession and “patiently” find a way to penetrate Liverpool’s lines, something that has become a recurring theme in Liverpool’s last few games.
Odds and market movement
The oddsmakers have City as slight favorites despite being the away team, and this is likely due to City’s strong start to the season as well as some injury worries for Liverpool. City’s moneyline prices have shortened this week, with City accounting for about a 42% implied win probability, Liverpool near 34% and the draw around 24%. The expected result, the one that most people think will be the scoreline of the game, is then a close 1-1.
Match officials
The on field referee is Chris Kavanagh and VAR is Paul Howard at Stockley Park along with assistant VAR official Nick Hopton. Security will be increased, merseyside police have already stated how an “appropriate policing operation” will be in affect for the fixture as it’s scale requires.
Verdict
It is a classic battle of two styles: Liverpool's intensity at home and City's control and killer instinct to score. Doubt for Isak and Foden the only absentee through suspension for City, the visitors are marginally more capable of dealing with unavailability. A close and high quality affair, City’s deeper squad giving them a slight edge.
