Liverpool and Manchester City meet Sunday evening at Anfield with both sides desperate to repair their fractured seasons. The hosts sit sixth on 39 points while Pep Guardiola's City occupy second with 47, though neither has managed consistency in recent weeks. Liverpool ended a winless run with their 4-1 Newcastle victory, while City reached the EFL Cup final midweek but collapsed in the second half. Arne Slot's side have won their last two home meetings with City, and the champions need a win to close the eight-point gap.
Liverpool finally rediscovered attacking fluency against Newcastle. Hugo Ekitike scored twice in three first-half minutes to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, with Florian Wirtz adding a third before Ibrahima Konate's emotional late goal. The victory was Liverpool's first comeback win of the season after conceding first, ending an 11-game winless streak when falling behind. Slot's men had drawn four of their previous six before the Newcastle win, including a disappointing 1-1 home stalemate with Burnley. The Bournemouth loss on January 24 remains their only defeat in five matches, though draws with Tottenham and Crystal Palace dented their top-four hopes. Their 6-0 Champions League thrashing of Qarabag and 3-0 win at Marseille proved they can still dominate, but consistency has eluded them.
City secured their EFL Cup final place with a clinical first-half display against Newcastle. Omar Marmoush scored twice in the opening half-hour while Tijjani Reijnders added a third to complete a 5-1 aggregate triumph. Guardiola's men have drawn four of their last six across all competitions, with the Newcastle cup win their only victory since a 2-0 league triumph over Wolves on January 24. The 2-2 Tottenham draw stands out as particularly damaging after City led 2-0 before collapsing. Their previous match saw City beaten 3-1 at Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, though they bounced back with a 2-0 home win over Galatasaray. City beat Newcastle 3-1 in this same competition just days ago but have struggled on the road all season, collecting just 11 points from eight away league games.
Liverpool have dominated this fixture at Anfield in recent years. The Reds won 2-0 at the Etihad in February 2025 and 2-0 at home in December 2024, with Guardiola's side winning just one of their last 27 visits to Anfield. That solitary victory came in February 2021 during an empty-stadium match, while Liverpool have remained unbeaten in this fixture with fans since May 2003. City's most recent triumph at Anfield with supporters dates back over two decades. However, City won the reverse fixture 3-0 at the Etihad in November, with Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku on target. Liverpool hold the overall head-to-head advantage with 110 wins from 219 meetings compared to City's 61.
My prediction is BTTS & Over 2.5 at 1.80. Liverpool have scored in 21 of their 24 league matches while conceding in 17, while City have scored in all 24 league games while conceding in 15. Both defenses showed vulnerability recently, with Liverpool shipping three at Bournemouth and City conceding twice at Tottenham after leading 2-0. The xG projection (1.70–1.13) supports a 2-2 finish.