Manchester City host Liverpool at Etihad Stadium for the marquee matchup of the weekend in the Premier League.
Manchester City will be looking to bounce back after getting knocked out of the UEFA Champions League mid-week in humbling fashion at the hands of Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid. It was a lifeless performance by Pep Guardiola's side at the Santiago Bernabéu, which saw City fail to make the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since the 2012–13 season.
Liverpool at home doesn't make things much easier for City. In years past, this would've likely been a Premier League title deciding fixture, but now, City are 17 points adrift of Liverpool atop the table. Still, this is a huge game for the Citizens in their pursuit of a top four finish this season.
John Stones will miss the match following the injury he suffered in the opening minutes of the second leg vs. Real Madrid. He joins Manuel Akanji on the sidelines, leaving City even weaker in defense. Erling Haaland is nursing a knee injury that kept him out on the match at the Bernabéu, so he'll likely only be available off the bench.
Here's how Manchester City could lineup vs. Liverpool on Sunday, Feb. 23.
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Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson—The Brazilian has been far from his best this season but he keeps his place between the sticks.
RB: Matheus Nunes—Nunes will return to the lineup, taking over Abdukodir Khusanov at right back.
CB: Rúben Dias—Dias will look to bounce back after struggling vs. Real Madrid.
CB: Nathan Aké—Aké will partner Dias in the center of defense.
LB: Joško Gvardiol—Gvardiol has been good going forward but he'll have to be at his best defensively to contain Mohamed Salah.
CM: Nico González—The Barcelona academy graduate will hope to win consecutive Premier League games since he made his league debut.
CM: Mateo Kovačić—The Croatian will replace İlkay Gündoğan in the XI.
RW: Bernardo Silva—The Portuguese has featured all over the pitch this season as he continues to be a mainstay in Guardiola's lineup.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne—Manchester City could very well use a vintage performance from the Belgian in what could be his final game vs. Liverpool in the Premier League.
LW: Savinho—Savinho will operate from the right looking to exploit Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive deficiencies.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool: Premier League.
