Manchester City could face a reworked day in their bid to topple Arsenal at the top of the Premier League when they take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Liverpool have been guilty of conceding first in 12 of their 24 games this season. Last weekend it was Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon who slotted past Alisson to give his side the lead. A lot of that stems from Liverpool’s struggling defence, but fellow forward Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz combined brilliantly, with Arne Slot getting the best of both players. The kick was taken by the duo and the cheers from the crowd clearly got them excited.
The Manchester City vs Liverpool match will start at 23:00 IST on Sunday, February 8. Star Sports and JioHotstar will provide live telecast and streaming of Premier League matches in India.
The game could hinge on this partnership, which has already produced six goals this season – the most prolific of any Premier League pairing. Wirtz has perfected the art of short, accurate passes that Ekitike can run on and score. The forward said: “He’s a great player who feels the football so it’s easy to play with him. I can do everything with a player like that.” Ekitike added: “I just have to run into space and I know he’ll find me. He’s fun to play with.”
Wirtz is certainly doing well and since December 20th no Premier League player has more assists, his tally is seven.
Pep Guardiola is well aware of the Liverpool duo and has focused his defensive training this week on stopping Wirtz and Ekitike. After throwing away a two-goal lead against Tottenham last weekend, City’s new central pairing of Marc Guehi and Abdukodir Khusanov have struggled at times and will need time to understand each other, build chemistry and form a solid defensive unit.
On paper, City have the strongest squad but there is still something missing – as Guardiola himself has admitted – and finding a solution is proving difficult. Erling Haaland and new signing Antoine Semenyo are yet to arrive, although it is still early days for the former Bournemouth man’s arrival. However, Semenyo is dangerous whenever he is on the ball. Along with Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki, this attack has the potential to destroy defenses.
Liverpool’s current standout, Dominik Szoboszlai, may not particularly enjoy being in a deeper role, but it will be his responsibility to build the defense and organize Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk – not quite the defensive pillar he once was – and Milos Kerkez. He will also look to drive forward through the middle and play long passes into the path of Erling Haaland.
The match also features two of the best goalkeepers in the world: City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, who saved his team from defeat last weekend with a series of spectacular stops, and Liverpool’s Alisson, whose reliability and composure constantly instill confidence in his defenders.
Guardiola versus Arne Slot is a riveting managerial contest with both sides desperate for a win – City to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the top and Liverpool aiming for a top four finish and Champions League qualification next season.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 8, 2026
