Man City vs Liverpool tips and predictions: Marmoush to eye more goals and derail Slot’s title push

Manchester City state of play

Pep Guardiola's men had been picking up steam in the Premier League. However, a 5-1 humbling against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium earlier this month suggested there would be no shock title charge. 

Manchester City followed up that disappointing league defeat with a resounding 4-0 win over Newcastle last Saturday. Omar Marmoush was a standout performer against the Magpies and bagged a hat-trick. 

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Plus, City have scored a load of goals in the first half of matches this season, which is discussed in our Premier League matchweek 26 betting tips.

However, they’re now out of the Champions League after a tepid second-leg play-off performance against Real Madrid. 

Kylian Mbappe's three goals inspired holders Real Madrid to a comfortable 3-1 win (Agg 6-3) and place in the last 16.

Liverpool state of play 

Arne Slot was always going to have a huge challenge replacing Anfield legend Jurgen Klopp. 

But the Dutchman has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. Grinding out results has been a key feature of life under the ex-Feyenoord boss. The Reds weren’t at their best on Wednesday night against Aston Villa. 

They showed their resilience and secured an important point in a gripping 2-2 draw. 

Slot's side have now not lost in the top flight since being beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest on home soil in September. 

That's 22 consecutive Premier League games without defeat - with 15 of those being wins. 

Key talking point: Will City’s fresh faces make a difference in this crunch clash? 

Can City have a say in the title race after all? The quest for Premier League glory increasingly looks like Liverpool's to lose. But Pep Guardiola is a wily old fox and won't let Slot have it all his way. 

City showed in the January transfer window that they aren't ready to let the second half of the campaign pass them by. Premier League clubs spent approximately £370 million in total. 

But Manchester City coughed up a whopping £180m million of that, nearly as much as the other 19-top flight teams.

City's spending became the second-highest in a winter window, with Chelsea's record still standing at £275m in 2023. 

FIRST’s top tip

Omar Marmoush first goal scorer at 14/5 (Bet442)

It took Marmoush just 13 minutes and 54 seconds to get his first City hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Newcastle.

The versatile attacker needed a bit of time to find his feet following the £59m move from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt last month. 

But he's looking like the real deal and will relish going toe-to-toe with Liverpool on home soil. 

It's worth noting that Marmoush had also already bagged 20 goals for Eintracht in the first half of this season.

Extra tips

Mohamed Salah anytime goalscorer at 127/100 (Bet442)

You just can’t ignore the Liverpool star. Despite now being 32 years old, he continues to shine game after game. 

Salah now has 39 goal involvements in the Premier League this season, netting 24 times and assisting 15, having opened the scoring and set up Trent Alexander-Arnold's leveller at Villa Park.

Mateo Kovacic yellow card at 5/2 (BetMGM)

Kovacic is tied for the most yellow cards by a City player in the Premier League this season with five. Given Liverpool's array of attacking talent, the experienced enforcer could be a likely contender for another booking. 

Team News

For City, Erling Haaland was part of the squad that travelled to Madrid but did not get off the bench. The superstar striker picked up a knee injury against Newcastle last week. 

Veteran playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has endured injury niggles all season but could feature against Liverpool. John Stones limped off at the Bernabeu and fellow defender Manuel Akanji suffered an injury in the first leg. 

Akanji looks set to be out of action for the rest of the campaign. Oscar Bobb's return to action remains unclear. 

Liverpool, meanwhile, are still dealing with a few injury issues. Cody Gakpo missed the showdown with Aston Villa but could face City. Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton are both long-term casualties. 

Manchester City vs Liverpool predicted line-ups

Manchester City: Ederson; Khusanov, Ake, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva; Gundogan; Savinho, Marmoush (4-1-2-1-2)

Liverpool: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz (4-2-3-1)

Form guide (all competitions)

Manchester City: DWLWWLWLWL

Liverpool: WWWLWWLDWD

Odds correct at the time of writing.