Everything to Know about Manchester City vs. Liverpool: Schedule, How to Watch
There's always plenty of drama whenever these two Premier League heavyweights clash.
Are the gods of the pitch starting to appear … mortal?
Liverpool have spent much of the Premier League season on cruise control, with their eyes on a mind-boggling, history-rewriting “Quadruple," but they've suffered some dropped points in recent weeks, most recently a 2-2 away draw to Aston Villa on Wednesday. And just a week earlier, Arne Slot lost his cool on the sidelines against Merseyside rivals Everton at the conclusion of another 2-2 draw that saw him issued a red card.
That's kept the title race with second-place Arsenal – just eight points back with a game in hand – very much alive.
Of course, one thing that still looks strange when glancing at the Premier League table is the fact that Manchester City, owners of the last four league titles, aren't more of a factor, sitting in fourth place a whopping 17 points off the pace.
Pep Guardiola's men are fresh off a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid in the Champions League, crashing out of the competition in the first knockout round on a 6-3 aggregate score against Los Blancos.
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And now they'll welcome the Reds into the Etihad this weekend in a matchup of perennial Premiere League titans.
When and Where to Watch Manchester City vs Liverpool
The not-to-be-missed clash between Manchester City and Liverpool kicks off Sunday, February 23 at 11:30 a.m. ET at Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Referee Anthony Taylor will call the match with Gary Beswick and Lee Betts assisting. Stuart Attwell and Adam Nunn will serve in VAR capacities during the fixture. Footy fans can catch all the action on Peacock.
Key Storylines
The End of an Era?
Manchester City’s reign atop the Premier League seems to be disintegrating before our very eyes. Per BBC, Pep Guardiola’s squad has surrendered two or more goals in six consecutive matches for the first time since 1963. They have won the last three of their four league matches, which is a good sign, but a realistic goal for the remainder of the season will be to maintain a top-four finish.
Is Slot Slipping?
Newly appointed Arne Slot successfully stifled the stress at Anfield to begin his Liverpool career, but the Reds’ last three matches, including a befuddling 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of the FA Cup, could be evidence competitors are adapting to the Dutchman’s patient strategy. That said, his record deserves respect, and no one is better this season away from home than the Reds. Liverpool also got the best of Man City the last time they squared off in a 2-0 win in December, but they have zero victories in the last seven trips to the Etihad.
Will Mohamed Salah stay or go?
The 32-year-old Egyptian wizard is quite possibly having his best season yet. His league-best 24 goals is five more than Erling Haaland, who’s still listed as doubtful for the fixture, and he’s notched five more assists than both Antonee Robinson and Buyako Saka. Per ESPN, Salah's 39 goal contributions are four away from Luis Suárez's club record 43 in the 2013-14 season. That said, his contract is up at the end of the season and Liverpool brass don’t have much of a history when it comes to extending contracts of players 30 and over.
Stars to Watch
Liverpool:
Darwin Núñez’s jaw-dropping miss against Aston Villa midweek was such a “really bad miss, [that it’s] probably up there with one of the worst we’ve seen this year," according to legendary Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, who scored 183 goals for the Reds. Such a ludicrous miss could weigh down the player, so Liverpool will be hoping to rebuild the speedster's confidence as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Cody Gapko’s continued recovery after injuring his ankle in the Merseyside Derby has provided oodles and oodles of concern for the Reds up top, but his potential absence opens the door for another to step up: Diogo Jota. Salah can’t do it all – well, maybe he can – but he'd do well to have some other threats to occupy City's defenders.
Finally, Dominik Szoboszlai's presence in the midfield, along with Virgil van Dijk on the back line, will be relied upon as they always are to provide Liverpool with defensive solidity.
Manchester City:
After being torched by Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé defender Joško Gvardiol must hit the reset button and come ready to ball because it’s absolutely imperative he’s solid.
Star striker Erling Haaland is dealing with a knee issue, leaving his availability in question. The Norwegian's knock has been described by Guardiola as "nothing serious" but it was enough to keep him out of the starting eleven against Madrid. The prospect of him also missing out on Liverpool has probably cost Pep some sleep.
With the ascension of Omar Marmoush, Mo Salah won’t be the only Egyptian star on the field when Liverpool clashes with City. After netting a hat trick against Newcastle in just 14 minutes, a firing Marmoush would certainly bring Guardiola a measure of relief, especially if Haaland remains compromised.
