Why Manchester City approach 'might work in Liverpool’s favour' in crunch Premier League title clash
Published 09/11/2025 at 11:42 GMT
Liverpool face a crucial match in the Premier League title race on Sunday as they travel to the Etihad Stadium to play against Manchester City. The reigning champions could find themselves 10 points behind league leaders Arsenal by the time they kick off, but head into the game with confidence after wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid. What can they learn from those wins to defeat City?
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Steve McManaman has highlighted why Manchester City's approach "might work in Liverpool’s favour" when they clash in the Premier League on Sunday.
Arne Slot's side travel to the Etihad Stadium to face their fellow title contenders in a match which could have a massive impact on the title race.
Table toppers Arsenal could be 10 points clear by the time their two main rivals go head-to-head if they manage to claim victory at Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
Liverpool have bounced back from a mini-crisis to claim back-to-back wins at Anfield as they followed up a fine 2-0 result against Aston Villa with a dominant 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
The Reds managed to shut out the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior on Tuesday, but next face an in-form Erling Haaland, who has already bagged 13 goals in the league this season.
McManaman believes Liverpool need to replicate their performance against Madrid to come away with a positive result in Manchester.
"I think they need to play exactly how they played in midweek," he told TNT Sports.
"Real Madrid had more possession than Liverpool and Man City will do the exact same, so if Liverpool are as organised as they were on Tuesday, and make it more difficult for them, it should be good opposition for Liverpool.
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"They’re not going to face a team who are just going to sit back and defend because City will come out and attack, so it might work in Liverpool’s favour on Sunday."
Not only did Liverpool manage to win their last two matches in all competitions, they also picked up back-to-back clean sheets.
The Reds beat Man City 2-0 both home and away on their way to the league title last season and McManaman believes that Liverpool's recent defensive displays show that Slot's team are gaining confidence.
"I think the most important thing is to keep rolling along and get something out of the game," he explained.
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"It was key that they looked strong defensively against Madrid and the team looks like they did last year.
"They looked like they knew how to play, where to be, and they weren’t open as a team. They were organised at the back and made a lot of chances at the other end which is always a good thing.
"What I liked about their midweek victory is that when they lost the ball and Madrid tried to build up from the back, Liverpool got numbers behind the ball.
"There were always 11 players that the visitors had to break down and that was different to some of the earlier games where it was a bit more like basketball with space everywhere and conceding chances.
"Liverpool looked strong, organised and difficult to break down, and that’s the most important thing when you’re starting to build."
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