Man City vs. Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk “will have trouble” against Erling Haaland if Pep Guardiola opts to “copy and paste” for Premier League clash

Erling Haaland will “trouble” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk if Manchester City repeat their Bournemouth blueprint in Sunday’s Premier League showdown at the Etihad Stadium, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

Few will argue that Man City’s No.9 has been the Premier League’s standout performer in the 2025-26 season. The prolific Norwegian has scored an impressive 13 goals in his opening 10 appearances in the division to fire Pep Guardiola's side up to second in the table, one point ahead of reigning champions Liverpool in third.

Across all competitions, Haaland has netted 18 goals in just 14 games for Man City, with 10 of those goals scored in seven home matches, including a brace in the Citizens’ 3-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth last weekend and a strike against his former club Borussia Dortmund in a 4-1 Champions League victory on Wednesday.

Haaland was named Man of the Match following his superb display against Bournemouth and he “thrived off the movement and the creativity” of Man City teammates Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, who started together in advanced central roles for the first time in the Premier League.

Considering how well Man City performed against a high-flying Bournemouth outfit who had put together an eight-game unbeaten run before heading to the Etihad, McInerney would like to see Guardiola “cope and paste” the same starting lineup, believing the same formula will bring success against Liverpool.

Haaland, Foden, Cherki “will revel playing against Liverpool”

McInerney has highlighted Liverpool’s leaky backline as a weakness that Man City’s attackers can exploit this weekend, with Haaland hoping to get the better of Reds skipper Van Dijk who ‘has not been at his dominant best’ thus far.

Before keeping clean sheets in their last two games against Aston Villa (2-0) and Real Madrid (1-0), Liverpool conceded 22 goals in 14 matches across all competitions at the start of this season, with 14 of those goals shipped in nine Premier League games - only three teams currently sitting in the top 15 have conceded more.

Asked which Man City players he would like to see named in Guardiola’s starting lineup, McInerney told Sports Mole: “I would literally Ctrl C, Ctrl V. I would copy and paste this side from the Bournemouth game straight over to the Liverpool game.

“Bournemouth are a slightly better side than Liverpool right now, in terms of the consistency and not too dissimilar in terms of the style. I think at home it gives us a bit of an edge.

“In terms of the creativity, I think Foden, Haaland and Cherki will revel playing against Liverpool. I think their movement will be too much for them, and Bernardo Silva hates Liverpool - he just does!

“Bernardo alongside Nico Gonzalez makes an awful lot of sense, and so does the power and the pace of the full-backs (Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly), and so does the settled centre-back partnership (Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol) ahead of the goalkeeper (Gianluigi Donnarumma).

Liverpool “too loose at the back”, Van Dijk “hasn't been his dominant best”

“I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work against Liverpool. In fact, to me, it's the most logical collection of players. That means [Tijjani] Reijnders on the bench still, but I think it’s right. Bernardo's experience in the game will be great alongside the recognisable DM (defensive midfielder Gonzalez).

“I cannot see a world where Cherki and Foden don't get space against Liverpool. I know [Ryan] Gravenberch is in really good form and [Alexis] Mac Allister is a quality player as well, but I think they will find space and there will be space in behind, because Liverpool haven't been great defensively by their standards this season.

“They've been too loose at the back and Van Dijk hasn't been his dominant best. He will have trouble against Haaland if City play a similar style against Bournemouth in my opinion.”

“I think City are in a better place this second,” McInerney confidently added. “I think the Bournemouth result was great and I know [Liverpool] just beat Villa too - symbolically after City lost to them admittedly - but I still think a lot of those frailties [are there] and their confidence isn't there yet.

“If it was at Anfield, I'd be a lot more nervous. I'm rarely confident against Liverpool, genuinely rarely, but for some reason I think there's something about this City side, the way they're playing right now and the way Liverpool are at. I think we've got a really good chance in this one.

“The stars are aligning” in Man City’s favour ahead of Liverpool clash

“I normally go into it with my heart saying a victory but my head saying a draw, or even potentially a loss, but I think City will win this one, I really do. There's something about the way this team's going. Look how we played against Arsenal - I know they were the better side really in terms of possession, but we defended like our lives mattered. City were so determined to get something from that game.

“We saw a really good performance in the [Manchester] derby and against Bournemouth. They clearly learned the lessons from the Aston Villa game. I think they'll go into this Liverpool game absolutely ready for it, with a very up-for-it crowd at the Etihad.

“I think we'll be too good for Liverpool. I really do. I believe that the creativity this side's showing right now will create chances against Liverpool, whose defence has been a little bit poorer so far this season.”

Asked to give a score prediction, McInerney said: “I think Man City are going to win 3-1. I'm going big. I'm really confident for this, unusually confident against Liverpool, but it's all about the way the worlds are aligning right now, the stars are aligning for this game. I think City have got the better chance.”

McInerney has also shared is thoughts on the importance of Sunday’s clash for both Man City and Liverpool in the race for the title with current leaders Arsenal, and why is would be a “hammer blow” for either side if they were to drop points at the Etihad.

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