Man City v Liverpool: Preview and Betting Tips | EPL 2025

City have lost four of their last eight matches but the Reds have dropped points in four of their last eight fixtures. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in eight home league matches vs Liverpool (five wins, three draws).

Match: Man City v Liverpool
When: Sunday, 23 February 2025, 18:30
Where: Etihad Stadium

Man City Form

City is having an awful season by their standards. A brief recovery saw a six-match unbeaten streak which included a 6-0 win at Ipswich. A 4-2 loss at PSG saw a second-half collapse before beating Chelsea 3-1 and Club Brugge 3-1 to reach the Champions League play-off round.

Their most recent results have included a 5-1 thrashing away at Arsenal before a 2-1 win at Leyton Orient and a 3-2 home defeat to Real Madrid. After destroying Newcastle 4-0 in a match with just three shots allowed, they were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in midweek to exit Europe 6-3 on aggregate.

Man City Team News

Defender Vitor Reis is available for this match after being ineligible in midweek. Manuel Akanji and John Stones are both ruled out. Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias are set to play centrally.

Rodri and Oscar Bobb are still out with their long-term injuries. Erling Haaland was an unused substitute in midweek and his involvement is not guaranteed in this one.

Man City Motivation

City still have a strong chance of a top five finish. Their confidence is fragile and a draw here would feel like a great result.

Pep Guardiola tends to play a conservative game against the top sides. He may pack his side with passers and leave his dribblers on the bench.

Liverpool Form

Liverpool are having a great season but they’ve dropped points in five of their last ten league matches. A 3-2 loss away at PSV in a dead rubber European match preceded a 2-0 win at Bournemouth. The Reds destroyed Tottenham 4-0 to reach the Carabao Cup final.

After a surprise 1-0 loss at Plymouth in the FA Cup, they conceded late to draw 2-2 at Everton. A 2-1 win versus Wolves last Sunday saw Liverpool outshot 10-0 in the second half. In midweek, drew 2-2 at Aston Villa despite putting up 2.51 xG and only allowing 0.67 xG to Villa.

Liverpool Team News

Arne Slot is still without Joe Gomez in defence but Cody Gakpo could return for this match. Conor Bradley was injured in midweek and is unlikely to feature in this crunch match.

Luis Diaz will return to the XI and Darwin Nunez is another option for fresh legs. Diogo Jota is expected to be used as an impact substitute.

Liverpool Motivation

The Reds need to win this game to stop the gap to Arsenal being closed. A draw would not be a terrible result but Arne Slot won’t settle for a point.

With City’s awful defending at present, Liverpool will attack and look to expose the wide areas in particular.

Key Stats

Man City have lost 4 of their last 8 matches in all competitions (17 goals conceded)

Man City are unbeaten in 8 home league matches vs Liverpool (5 wins, 3 draws).

Liverpool have lost just 3 of their last 38 matches (28 wins, 7 draws)

Liverpool have scored 44 goals in their last 18 matches

Liverpool’s Salah has scored 6 goals in his last 9 EPL matches vs Man City

Verdict

City’s defence looks weak right now and it’s difficult to see past Liverpool winning the match and scoring Over 2.5 goals as a team.

Bet Bet: Liverpool win at 2.30
Value Bet: Liverpool Over 2.5 Team Goals at 3.20
Goalscorer Tip: Mo Salah to score anytime at 1.93