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Manchester City host Liverpool in a battle of the Premier League title pretenders on Sunday.
Arsenal could be nine points clear at the top by the time these two meet at the Etihad Stadium, and there is a definite sense that one of these sides will establish themselves as the Gunners' main challengers should they win this clash in Manchester.
City have responded well to a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on October 26, winning their past three games in all competitions and scoring 10 goals in the process. Erling Haaland has been in ruthless form, and Phil Foden's double in the midweek 4-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund suggested the midfielder is getting back to his best.
Pep Guardiola's side lost both meetings with Liverpool 2-0 last season, but this is expected to be a tighter encounter — and one in which plenty of goals are anticipated.
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Man City lineup vs. Liverpool: Confirmed starting XI
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Donnarumma (GK)
Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly
Nico
Silva, Foden, Reijnders, Doku
Haaland
Man City team news
The big question mark for City concerned Rodri. Guardiola left him out of the Dortmund win after the midfielder had complained of feeling less than fully fit, and he is once again absent for Liverpool
In Rodri's absence, the team looks exactly as it did against Bournemouth seven days ago. Nico Gonzalez will anchor the midfield, with the in-form Foden joining in the playmaking department by Rayan Cherki.
Ruben Dias returns at centre-back in place of John Stones, while captain Bernardo Silva is in for Tijjani Reijnders.
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Man City injury list
Below is the latest injury picture for Manchester City, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.
Rodri
- Injury: Hamstring
- Expected return date: November 22
Rodri has suffered a couple of muscular injury setbacks since his return from ACL surgery at the FIFA Club World Cup.
A late substitute cameo against Bournemouth was his first competitive action since suffering a hamstring problem at Brentford a month ago. As Guardiola hinted prior to the Liverpool match, the goal is now to have him fit and firing after the November international break.
Mateo Kovacic
- Injury: Heel/ankle
- Expected return date: February/March 2026
Croatia midfielder Kovacic only recently returned to action following Achilles surgery over the summer, but has suffered a serious setback.
After the Bournemouth win, Guardiola said the former Chelsea and Real Madrid player would be "out for a while".
"He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We'll wait on him for the last part of the season," the City boss added. Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti confirmed the news and said Kovacic's recovery was likely to take three to four months.
Man City vs. Liverpool match details
- Date: Sunday, November 9, 2025
- Kickoff time: 4:30 p.m. Local / 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT / 3:30 a.m. AEDT (Nov. 10)
- Location: Etihad Stadium (Manchester, England)
- Competition: Premier League matchweek 11
- Referee: Chris Kavanagh
- VAR: Michael Oliver
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