Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 26.
Match analysis: Manchester City v Liverpool
Liverpool will aim to produce an authoritative away performance to get their title charge back on track with victory at Man City this Sunday.
Unbeaten on the road this season - and having lost only six of 23 matches against Pep Guardiola’s City - the Reds will feel confident despite their recent wobbles in which they have dropped points in their last two away matches
The reigning champions will be no pushover though if they can replicate the quality shown in a resounding 4-0 home success against Newcastle United last weekend.
Marmoush or Salah to reign supreme?
Who will shine brightest at the Etihad Stadium - the Egyptian King or his heir apparent?
On the back of scoring a hat-trick in his last home outing, Omar Marmoush, 26, will certainly back himself to outshine his compatriot.
Like Mohamed Salah, City’s January signing is a relatively low-touch player with a penchant for ruthless efficiency inside the final third.
They both identify space expertly, moving into those pockets with intelligence, before firing shots at goal.
Premier League Goals/Assists per 90 24/25*
| Player | Total |
| Mohamed Salah (LIV) | 1.52 |
|---|---|
| Omar Marmoush (MCI) | 1.22 |
| Bukayo Saka (ARS) | 1.06 |
| Alexander Isak (NEW) | 1.05 |
*minimum three goals
While it is early days for Marmoush, with his treble against Newcastle inflating his stats, it will still be a source of great pride in their homeland to see two Egyptians top the rankings for goals and assists per 90 minutes.
On a personal note, Marmoush will be hoping Erling Haaland recovers from a knee injury, so that he can start on the left of Man City’s attack against Liverpool.
In Friday's pre-match press conference, Guardiola provided an update on Haaland's fitness, saying: "I don't know yet. Tomorrow [Saturday] we will know."
Marmoush is not a natural No 9; more of a wide forward that likes to join in by popping up as a second striker.
Haaland has already shown he will take defenders with him to create extra space for Marmoush, who has incisive movement.
These examples from matches against Chelsea and Newcastle illustrate how well the Egypt international angles his runs towards the middle of the pitch.
Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk will need to always be aware of Marmoush's positioning, as Trent Alexander-Arnold may not be able to follow him every step of the way.
Salah and Marmoush almost mirror one another in terms of where they get on the ball, but on opposite sides.
The chief difference sees Liverpool’s talisman enjoy most of his involvements inside the right corner of the box (below).
Salah's shots and passes v Aston Villa
While Marmoush drifts central a little bit more regularly, as shown below.
Marmoush's shots and passes v Newcastle
If Haaland is unavailable we may see Marmoush and Savinho used as split strikers.
City experimented with this in the 3-1 loss at Real Madrid, and although neither man made a big impression, it could be their best short-term solution.
These heat maps, below, from Wednesday night highlight how the pair effectively shared the centre forward role.
Savinho's heat map v Real Madrid
Marmoush's heat map v Real Madrid
As for Salah, he has been involved in 13 goals against Guardiola’s City (eight goals, five assists), the most of any player against the Spaniard's side.
In the form of his life, with eight goals and three assists in his last seven appearances in all competitions, it would actually be a surprise if Salah does not make another significant contribution.
Could a key defender be the potential match winner?
Van Dijk and Josko Gvardiol will have plenty on their plate from a defensive perspective.
Liverpool’s towering centre-back will resume his heavyweight rivalry with Haaland (fitness permitting), while City’s left-back has the unenviable task of trying to shackle Salah.
How they fare in those duels is sure to influence the outcome, yet it is their threat inside the opposition penalty box which could prove just as decisive.
In terms of headed shots from defenders, they are both ranked inside the Premier League’s top three.
Premier League defenders most headed shots 24/25
| Player | Total |
| Nikola Milenkovic (NFO) | 15 |
|---|---|
| Josko Gvardiol (MCI) | 14 |
| Virgil van Dijk (LIV) | 13 |
| Maxence Lacroix (CRY) | 13 |
| Gabriel (ARS) | 10 |
In the last meeting at Anfield, Van Dijk missed a trio of gilt-edged opportunities from set-pieces.
City could not handle his runs, with the Dutchman escaping Kyle Walker’s attentions to head wide early on.
And in the second half Van Dijk was unlucky not to score after looping around City’s zonal set up to meet Alexander-Arnold’s cross at the near post.
City’s coaching staff and players must come up with a better plan to deal with him this time around.
Van Dijk scored from a corner at Arsenal and is more than capable of coming up with another big- match goal.
As for Gvardiol, he is the division’s highest-scoring defender on five, with two strikes coming from set-plays.
Both the Croatian’s headed strikes (against AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United) came from short corners where Man City changed the angle of delivery.
Liverpool can ill afford to lose sight of Gvardiol when he wanders into the penalty area.
Who will press to greater effect?
Both head coaches set their teams up to make the pitch feel small when they do not have possession, and conversely, they aim to stretch it as wide as possible when they have the ball.
Over the course of 2024/25 Arne Slot’s side have done a better job in that regard, and this came to the fore the last time these two sides met at Anfield.
Liverpool used their pressing to great effect when forcing an aggressive turnover that led to Luis Diaz being brought down by Stefan Ortega for the penalty that made it 2-0.
Liverpool's press leading to a penalty
Liverpool will try and force a repeat, but equally, Man City are capable of creating chances through their own aggressive pressing.
Down the years it has been one of the hallmarks of Guardiola’s style.
To avoid being caught on the ball in bad areas, neither team is averse to going long with their distribution either.
A lengthy switch pass to Salah opened up the pitch brilliantly, allowing him to cross for Cody Gakpo to score when these two sides last met.
This was an excellent way to expose Man City’s high line; a set-up which was vulnerable once again in midweek when a long pass sent Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe through to opening the scoring.
Guardiola’s men are also excellent at launching their own attacks with passes like this, often through Ederson who has three assists, so look out for searching long passes creating problems. .
Finishing will inevitably play its part too.
In this regard Man City are stronger right now than at any other stage this season.
In just six Premier League matches in 2025, Man City have scored 20 goals from only 81 shots, producing a league-high conversion rate of 24.7 per cent.
Their shot conversion between August and December this season was only 9.6 per cent.
Liverpool have played two extra matches in 2025, scoring three less goals than City – and their conversion stats during the same period are 12.4 per cent.
How Man City & Liverpool's attack compare in 2025
| Stat | MCI | LIV |
| Matches | 6 | 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 81 | 137 |
| Goals | 20 | 17 |
| Conversion rate % | 24.7% | 12.4% |
As you can see on these Expected Goals (XG) shot maps, it is Man City, (below left), who have produced the higher proportion of better-quality chances (in dark colours) than Liverpool, below right.
Based on this evidence Man City will need fewer opportunities to score when chances fall their way in Sunday's huge encounter.
