Key events
And here’s Pep
It’s Liverpool. These types of games, the position in the table doesn’t matter. I don’t need to tell the players, they know [how good Liverpool are]. We need a brilliant performance – be aggressive in terms of the duels and the long balls, and impose our game. The team that imposed their style will be closer to winning.
🗣️ “They know it, I don’t have to tell them…”
Pep Guardiola insists the Manchester City players are fully focused ahead of their Super Sunday clash with Liverpool pic.twitter.com/AhJBGpiUZt
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 16, 2022
“I’d disagree with you that Fabinho was great during the COVID season,” says Graeme Neill. “It’s only when Klopp played actual CBs in that position that Liverpool turned things round. And Fabinho is bang out of form. And Gomez at right back again puts the fear of God in me.
“While I’m complaining, you would think the fact 58-year-old James Milner is in the starting lineup would shut up the ‘YES, BUT LOLZERPOOL HAS ALSO SPENT MONEY! 1!1!1!1’ types that argue Liverpool are in the same financial league as City and Newcastle. But it won’t.”
I really wouldn’t worry about what Twitter’s finest have to say about anything.
Jurgen Klopp’s pre-match thoughts
We need to play a really good game. Be ready to suffer, but in your moments, cause them problems as well. Be brave, be bright, lively.
[On stopping Beast] It’s the oldest news in football: it’s always collective. It’s just that pundits pick out individuals. It will be interesting to watch.
Full-time scores
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Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea
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Man Utd 0-0 Newcastle
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Southampton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal lead 1-0 at Elland Road in a game that was delayed by around half an hour because of a power failure.
“Diogo Jota’s return hasn’t garnered too much interest, but he brings something different,” says Matt Dony. “And he’s pleasingly spiky. Little bit of aggro with the City defence wouldn’t go amiss. That’s as positive as I can be, though. I’m expecting an away win. I can’t put into words how much I love Milner, but this feels like bad news.”
He’s on the bench
Liverpool’s tactics There are suggestions that Fabinho will play at centre-back, where he excelled during the Covid season. That would allow Joe Gomez to play at right-back and James Milner in midfield. But if that’s the case, why play Milner ahead of Jordan Henderson?
We’ll find out soon enough.
Barney Ronay on Liverpool
There’s plenty going on in the 2pm games. Get the latest news with Daniel Harris.
Team news
James Milner, who was roasted by Phil Foden in this fixture last season, will again play as an emergency right-back for Liverpool. Joe Gomez moves infield to cover for the injured Ibrahima Konate. Darwin Nunez, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are on the bench, and it looks like Jurgen Klopp has reverted to 4-1-2-3/4-3-3.
No big surprises in the City side. Ilkay Gundogan is preferred to Jack Grealish, which should mean Bernardo Silva moves into the front three.
Liverpool (4-1-2-3) Alisson; Milner, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho; Elliott, Thiago; Salah, Firmino, Jota.
Substitutes: Kelleher, Henderson, Jones, Tsimikas, Nunez, Carvalho, Bajcetic, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold
Manchester City (4-1-2-3) Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; Rodri; De Bruyne, Gundogan; Bernardo, Haaland, Foden.
Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Grealish, Alvarez, Gomez, Laporte, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome. The last time Liverpool played Manchester City in the Premier League, it was both a title decider and – or so we thought – a dress rehearsal for the ultimate Champions League final. Today it’s 12th v 2nd, but it’s still the best game in English football, maybe world football.
Liverpool’s peculiar start to the season gives today’s game a different hue. It’s about pride as much as points, certainly for Liverpool. They want to show they are still relevant, still the toughest opponent Pep Guardiola has ever faced. But if City win and go 16 points clear of Liverpool, many folk will tell you that the rivalry is a thing of the past.
City have a desperate record at Anfield, with just one win since 2003. But those games were all Before Beast. Erling Haaland’s battle with Virgil van Dijk, imperious but out of form, adds another layer of intrigue to an already mouthwatering game. It’s less than three months since Liverpool overpowered City in the Community Shield and Haaland had a minor stinker. A lot has changed since then.
Kick off 4.30pm.