Liverpool-Man City team news confirmed as Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush both start

Liverpool and Manchester City have confirmed their starting lineups for Sunday's Premier League blockbuster at Anfield.

The biggest question on the lips of Sky Blues fans was whether Erling Haaland or Omar Marmoush would start against the champions following the latter's brace against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup.

Meanwhile, Haaland has only managed to score in one of his last seven Premier League appearances, but he has been restored to the first XI, while Marmoush also keeps his place up front.

Pep Guardiola has made a total of five changes to the side that saw off Newcastle 3-1 in midweek, as Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden also drop out of the starting lineup, despite the former's goal in the semi-final second leg.

Bernardo Silva has recovered from a knock to start in midfield in Reijnders's place, while Foden makes way for Haaland, and Nico Gonzalez has also ceded his place in the engine room to Rodri.

Further back, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guehi have unsurprisingly returned to the XI over James Trafford and Nathan Ake, but Abdukodir Khusanov keeps his spot over the fit-again Ruben Dias.

Rayan Cherki has also been snubbed from the starting lineup by Guardiola, who has seemingly dropped Rayan Ait-Nouri into a deeper role to accommodate Haaland's return and Marmoush's positional switch.

As well as his current difficult run in front of goal, Haaland has never netted a Premier League goal at Anfield, one of only two grounds he has failed to score at in the top flight alongside the Stadium of Light.

Liverpool vs. Man City: Joe Gomez absent for Premier League champions

Your line-up to take on Liverpool! ??

XI | Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Bernardo (C), O’Reilly, Semenyo, Marmoush, Haaland

SUBS | Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Ake, Cherki, Nico, Foden, Alleyne, Lewis

? @etihad pic.twitter.com/0Z8zMFri9c

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 8, 2026

Meanwhile, Liverpool have unsurprisingly named an unchanged lineup from the side that thumped Newcastle 4-1 in their most recent Premier League affair.

Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo will work in tandem with Hugo Ekitike up front, while Dominik Szoboszlai operates at right-back once again.

Arne Slot expressed hope that Joe Gomez would return from a hip injury to make the bench for the visit of Man City, but the Englishman has not been included in the matchday squad.

Liverpool will move to within five points of Manchester City in the Premier League table with victory on Sunday, while the Citizens will aim to achieve a head-to-head feat they have not managed for 89 years.

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha

Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Silva, Rodri, O'Reilly; Semenyo, Haaland, Marmoush

Subs: Trafford, Dias, Reijnders, Ake, Cherki, Nico, Foden, Alleyne, Lewis