Manchester City will be targeting a return to winning ways when they welcome Premier League leaders Liverpool to the Etihad Stadium today.. City, who were beaten 2-0 by the Merseyside outfit when they met at Anfield earlier this season, exited the Champions League in midweek, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. It meant they lost their play-off round tie 6-3 on aggregate.. Alongside attempting to win the FA Cup, City must now focus on attempting to secure a top four finish and Champions League qualification for next season. Pep Guardiola will want to see a response from his players after they produced such an uninspiring display in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night.. Ahead of the clash with Arne Slot’s side, Guardiola has confirmed striker Erling Haaland is in contention to be involved, but John Stones is the latest addition to the injury list and may require surgery.. The City boss is expected to name Ederson in goal as he goes in search of back-to-back Premier League clean sheets for the first time this season. He will also be hoping to claim a third assist in as many league appearances.. Ahead of the Brazilian, Guardiola has a big decision to make at right-back. Abdukodir Khusanov struggled against Madrid and it feels only right that City should deploy an out-and-out right-back in that role, meaning Rico Lewis could be recalled.. Stones’ absence means Nathan Ake could be recalled to the starting XI and operate as the left-sided centre-back, meaning Ruben Dias may shuffle across to the right. Josko Gvardiol is the most likely candidate to occupy the lefty-back berth.. The only positive of any note in Madrid was that January signing Nico Gonzalez netted his first goal for the club, although it meant nothing in the grand scheme of either the game or the tie. He is likely to retain his place at the base of the midfield and could be supported in the engine room by Mateo Kovacic, who could provide some much needed balance.. As far as the attacking trio behind the striker is concerned, Savinho could operate from the right and Phil Foden could start from the left. Kevin De Bruyne may be recalled and feature for the first time since starting the 3-2 defeat to Madrid at the Etihad a little under a fortnight ago.. Despite being in contention, doubts remain over whether Haaland will be fit enough to start. With that said, Omar Marmoush could be given the nod to lead the line.. How Manchester City could line up against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.. City predicted XI vs Liverpool: Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden; Marmoush.
