Liverpool vs Manchester City preview, lineups, H2H: Son of Nigerian father eyes upset

Manchester City head to Anfield on Sunday, October 11, 2026, sitting five points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, for this Matchday 6 kick-off.

A result either way would shift the table meaningfully, since City arrived with a perfect five wins from five and Liverpool with two wins and three draws from the same number of games.

Erling Haaland has scored five goals in those five City appearances, and his duel with a Liverpool back line missing two regular starters of its own looks like the detail that decides this one.

This is also City's first match since an independent Premier League panel found the club guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of its financial rules, a verdict City is appealing, and Enzo Maresca has used the week to insist the title record built under him since June is not tainted by it.

Match Facts · Liverpool vs Manchester City

Competition: Premier League, Matchday 6

Date: October 11, 2026

Kickoff: 4:30pm WAT

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

League positions: Liverpool 6th · Manchester City 1st

Last meeting: Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool, April 4, 2026

Player To Watch: Rio Ngumoha Nigerian Origin

Liverpool attacker Rio Ngumoha is one to watch in this fixture due to his Nigerian roots. He currently plays for England's Three Lions, but he could have easily been playing for the Super Eagles of Nigeria. He was born in England to a Nigerian father and a Guadeloupean mother, which also makes him eligible for France.

But from his earlier years, it was always either Nigeria or England. In fact, the 18-year-old winger has occasionally leaned into his Nigerian side, like when he shared himself rocking a retro Super Eagles jerysey on social media.

Liverpool wonder kid Rio Ngumoha vibing with the iconic Nigerian Jersey. Do you think he should play for Nigeria 🇳🇬? https://t.co/dFweh0VWA5

— Timz (@Timz_LFC) May 15, 2026

His decision to play for the Three Lions is a blow for Nigeria, given his immense talent and the paucity of deadly wingers in the Super Eagles setup. But that will definitely be the least of his worries at Anfield on Sunday, as he hopes to get into Iraola's starting eleven.

If he starts, he will definitely give the Manchester City backline a run for their money with his pace and nimble feet. He is also a willing shooter, as he can unleash a belter from anywhere around the box. Ngumoha can also produce an effective display from the left or the right.

Liverpool vs Manchester City: Form Guide

Manchester City have won all five Premier League matches so far this season, a run that has produced a goal difference of +8 from 13 goals scored and five conceded.

Haaland has provided almost half of that total on his own, with an expected-goals return of 4.43 that matches his actual output almost goal for goal, though Rayan Cherki and Iliman Ndiaye have also created regularly from the half-spaces either side of him.

Liverpool, in contrast, have won two and drawn three without losing, a start that leaves them sixth with nine points, seven goals scored and four conceded.

Andoni Iraola's side have not lost a league game yet this season, but three draws in five matches is a soft return for a team many expected to push for the top four, and their goals have come from four different players rather than a single reliable source.

Five games is still a small sample this early in a 38-game season, yet City's perfect record and Liverpool's draws have already opened a six-point gap between first and sixth.

Liverpool vs Manchester City: Head-to-Head

The two sides have met five times across competitions in the past two seasons, with Manchester City winning three and Liverpool winning two.

City's run of wins includes a 4-0 FA Cup victory on April 4, 2026, a 2-1 league win at Anfield on February 8, 2026, and a 3-0 league win on November 9, 2025.

Liverpool's two wins both came in the Premier League, a 2-0 win away at the Etihad on February 23, 2025, and a 2-0 win at home on December 1, 2024.

At Anfield specifically, the record in this run is even, with one win apiece since December 2024, which argues against treating Sunday as a foregone conclusion despite City's current form.

Key Battles To Watch Out For In Liverpool vs Manchester City

Haaland against Van Dijk

Erling Haaland has scored five goals from his five Premier League appearances this season, landing 10 of his 20 shots on target along the way, and he will spend Sunday afternoon running at Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's captain and the player most responsible for containing him.

Van Dijk has started every league game so far this season as Liverpool's senior centre-back, and his positioning against a forward who scores from narrow half-chances as readily as wide-open ones will decide how often City actually test Alisson.

If Haaland is given even a yard of space in behind, his record this season suggests he will punish it, which puts extra weight on Van Dijk winning the first contact in every aerial and footrace duel.

Wirtz against City's midfield pivot

Florian Wirtz has started to find pockets of space between opponents' lines in recent weeks, and how Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson screen those pockets will shape Liverpool's best route back into the game.

Wirtz has one assist in the Premier League so far this season and an average match rating of 7.41, numbers that undersell how often he has turned defence into attack for Liverpool once he receives the ball facing forward.

Fernandez and Anderson will be asked to split that job between pressing him early and dropping to protect the space in behind, and whichever one City sacrifice will tell Liverpool where to attack.

Gvardiol against Barcola

A third contest worth watching is out wide, where Josko Gvardiol will have to defend Bradley Barcola in the channel City have looked most exposed in this season.

Barcola's pace in behind is Liverpool's quickest way to turn a City mistake into a scoring chance, and Gvardiol's willingness to tuck infield to help City's double pivot can leave exactly that channel open.

Team News

Liverpool will be without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, their two first-choice forwards, both ruled out with injuries picked up on international duty, while Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain out longer term and Federico Chiesa is still working his way back from injury without a single minute played this season.

Jeremy Jacquet has been cleared to play after being rested for the last round purely as a precaution, Alisson continues as an automatic choice in goal, and Lewis Koumas is expected to lead the line in Isak and Gakpo's absence.

Predicted XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Jacquet, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Barcola, Koumas, Wirtz.

Manchester City have their own absence at the top end of the pitch, with Phil Foden serving the last match of a three-game suspension for violent conduct in last month's Manchester derby, though Antoine Semenyo has trained normally this week after a minor knock sustained on international duty and Nico O'Reilly remains a fitness doubt with a muscle problem. With Gianluigi Donnarumma settled in goal and a bench that still includes Jeremy Doku, City have enough attacking cover to absorb Foden's absence for one more match without changing their approach.

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Ndiaye, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland.

The Verdict

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester City

City's unbeaten start and superior goal difference outweigh Liverpool's home advantage, especially with Isak and Gakpo missing, and Haaland's head-to-head edge over Van Dijk should produce at least one goal, while Koumas offers Liverpool their clearest route back into the game. Likely scorers: Haaland, Koumas.