Overview
- Kickoff is Sunday at 16:30 GMT at the Etihad Stadium, live in the UK on Sky Sports, with Chris Kavanagh refereeing.
- City are without long‑term absentee Mateo Kovacic, and Rodri’s involvement remains in doubt after he sat out the midweek win over Borussia Dortmund.
- Liverpool expect Alexander Isak to be named on the bench after returning to training, with Hugo Ekitike widely tipped to lead the line; Alisson and Jeremie Frimpong remain unavailable.
- City have lost only once in 13 across competitions and beat Dortmund 4-1, while Liverpool arrive on back‑to‑back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid after a poor run; Liverpool did a league double over City last season.
- Arne Slot publicly urged Ekitike to improve in aerial duels despite praising his technique, and separate reports say Ibrahima Konaté’s representative has held talks with Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid about his future.