Manchester City head into Sunday's fixture at Anfield holding a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, with an unbeaten Liverpool side as their hosts and a fifth consecutive victory over the Merseyside club as their objective.

Heading into the international break, City put eight goals past Sunderland across a 5-3 contest at the Etihad Stadium. Five matches into the campaign, they had accumulated 15 points across those opening fixtures, with their unbeaten record remaining intact.

A Saturday victory over Leeds by two goals to one brought Arsenal level with City in the table, though the defending champions hold the advantage on goal difference. Liverpool's unbeaten run has come alongside questions about the level of their performances. Of their five outings, victories came in just two, with the remaining three each ending in a draw. Nine points sat on the table for them after a single goal without reply put Bournemouth away in the match preceding the international interval.

In all three fixtures contested between the two clubs last season, Manchester City took the points. With both clubs now operating under new managerial appointments, the relevance of those previous head-to-head outcomes has been somewhat diminished.

Andoni Iraola took charge at Anfield when the summer transfer window opened, having steered Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish the previous season. Liverpool have not dropped a point in the top flight since the Spaniard took charge. Pep Guardiola's ten-year association with the Etihad came to an end at the close of the 2025/26 season. Under Enzo Maresca — who spent the 2022/23 campaign on Guardiola's coaching staff and collected a Treble in the process — City have recorded an unbeaten league run so far this season.

Liverpool's top scorer will not feature when the two sides meet on Sunday. Alexander Isak picked up a thigh problem while away on international duty, leaving him unavailable for selection. The Swedish attacker has scored four goals this season, one behind Erling Haaland's tally of five. Cody Gakpo, who sustained an ankle injury during his time on international duty with the Netherlands, will also be absent for the home side.

With those absences in mind, Iraola pointed to Bryan Barcola's ability to operate across different positions up front as a reason the Frenchman stood to take on a bigger part in the attack. Theo Jacquet is anticipated to be available for selection. Haaland has been passed fit and will feature for Manchester City, while Phil Foden is ruled out through suspension.

On the attacking front, City have put 13 goals past opponents against Liverpool's seven in the current campaign. At the other end, Alisson has recorded one more clean sheet than Donnarumma — three to two — giving the Merseyside club a narrow advantage in defensive solidity.

Maresca's squad arrive at the fixture with a run of positive results behind them, placing them in a position to extend the gap above Arsenal, the reigning champions. Holding their unbeaten run intact while narrowing the gap at the top of the table stands as Liverpool's objective when they next take the field. No visiting side had dropped points in the league all season, a record that stood to be broken for the first time by this particular home fixture.

Sunday's fixture at Anfield is scheduled for a 16:30 BST start on 11 October and is set to be carried live by Sky Sports Main Event.