The reigning champions meet the faltering challengers in a blockbuster Anfield encounter on Sunday afternoon, as Liverpool host Manchester City in the Premier League.
A 13-point chasm already separates the two powerhouses in the table, with the Reds going down 3-2 to Arsenal last weekend while City bested Southampton 4-0.
Match preview
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For the past five years, the Premier League title race has almost always come down to a two-horse battle between Liverpool and Man City, but Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has already admitted that Sunday's clash will not decide the destiny of the title for his side this time around.
As Arsenal and Man City continue to ride off into the sunset, Liverpool were left to rue a batch of controversial officiating decisions in last week's 3-2 defeat to the Gunners, but the wounded Reds were a different kettle of fish for Rangers to handle in the Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min scored a 13-minute hat-trick against Leicester City off the bench earlier this season, but anything that the South Korean can do, Mohamed Salah can do better, as he scored the fastest treble in Champions League history as a substitute in a 7-1 demolition of the Scottish giants.
Salah's strikes came in the 75th, 80th and 81st minute of a contest in which Scott Arfield had initially put Rangers one goal to the good, but Liverpool's Egyptian wing king, Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Roberto Firmino (2) completed a stunning turnaround for those in red.
Now aiming to improve on their measly 10th-placed standing in the Premier League table, Liverpool welcome Man City to Anfield with their unbeaten home record for 2022-23 still intact, and Klopp's side have now gone 27 top-flight games without suffering defeat at their Merseyside headquarters.
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While eight goals flew in at Ibrox in midweek, not a single one was chalked up in Man City's trip to Copenhagen, where an Erling Braut Haaland-less Citizens side settled for a goalless draw against a side whom they had demolished 5-0 just six days prior.
A scorcher of a strike from Rodri was disallowed for a handball by Riyad Mahrez, who saw a penalty saved by the impenetrable wall that was Kamil Grabara, and City only had 11 men on the field for half-an-hour before Sergio Gomez was given his marching orders.
Nevertheless, that point proved to be enough for Pep Guardiola's side to book their spot in the last-16 as they embark on another quest for elusive European glory, and they are still being kept away from top spot in the Premier League by Arsenal, whose one-point lead remains intact.
By putting four past Southampton in their most recent top-flight contest, City travel to Anfield on a three-game Premier League winning run - scoring a whopping 13 goals in those 270 minutes of football - but they have already dropped points to Aston Villa and Newcastle United away from home this term.
The champions can still proudly boast to possess a 22-game unbeaten away run in the Premier League, one of which saw City and Liverpool draw 2-2 at Anfield last term before playing out an identical stalemate at the Etihad, but Klopp won the battle of wits with Guardiola in July's Community Shield.
Team News
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The Anfield treatment room is well-stocked ahead of Sunday's crunch clash, as Arthur Melo, Luis Diaz, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain out of contention for Liverpool, but Curtis Jones is in with a chance of featuring.
Andy Robertson was able to come off the bench in the Champions League win over Rangers and is now primed to replace Kostas Tsimikas at left-back, with Joe Gomez deputising for Alexander-Arnold on the opposite flank.
Once again, Klopp is facing the 4-3-3 vs. 4-2-3-1 dilemma for the visit of the champions, but none of Salah, Nunez, Firmino or Diogo Jota - who set up all of Salah's goals in midweek - deserve to be dropped.
However, the Liverpool boss may ultimately side with the 4-3-3 amid fears of his crop being overrun in midfield, with Firmino possibly being the unlucky one to take up a spot on the bench.
Ibrahima Konate has also emerged as a late doubt with a muscle injury, so Joe Gomez may shift across to the heart of defence as James Milner comes in at right-back.
The Man City infirmary is nowhere near as full as Liverpool's, and Guardiola has confirmed that Erling Braut Haaland will be fine to lead the line after being rested as a precaution in midweek.
However, the game will come too soon for the trio of John Stones, Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker, but Aymeric Laporte is likely to drop out of the defence as Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake return alongside Manuel Akanji and Joao Cancelo.
Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva are also set to earn recalls to the starting lineup, which could see Ilkay Gundogan demoted down to the bench, unless Guardiola opts to drop Jack Grealish and field Silva in a more advanced position.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Milner, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Jota
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Cancelo, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Grealish
We say: Liverpool 2-3 Manchester City
Goals are virtually always guaranteed when this clash of the titans occurs, and Liverpool will certainly have to make up for their defensive deficiencies with attacking acumen if they are to preserve their stellar unbeaten Anfield run.
A well-rested Haaland would strike fear into the hearts of any defence, though, and Man City are always a dangerous beast to contend with after a setback, so we can envisage the Reds coming on the wrong end of the scoreline in another five-goal thriller as the gap between the two teams widens even further.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
