Manchester City vs Liverpool Preview

Manchester City host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday lunchtime in an FA Cup fixture that doubles as one of the most compelling domestic rivalries in English football.

City arrive at the Etihad having won the Carabao Cup final in their most recent outing — a 2-0 win away at Arsenal on March 22 that delivered silverware but came in the context of a turbulent month. Prior to that, they lost 2-1 at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League second leg on March 17, ending their European campaign. Earlier in this run, a 1-1 draw away at West Ham in the league, a 3-0 defeat away at Real Madrid in the first leg, and a 3-1 FA Cup win away at Newcastle complete a sequence of two wins, one draw and two losses — a side that won a trophy but lost their biggest fixture of the season. Gvardiol is out, while Dias and Stones are both doubtful in defence, potentially forcing City into an unsettled back line.

Liverpool travel to the Etihad having lost their most recent outing — a 2-1 defeat away at Brighton & Hove Albion in the league on March 21. Prior to that, they won 4-0 at home against Galatasaray in the Champions League second leg on March 18. Earlier in this run, a 1-1 home draw with Tottenham, a 1-0 defeat away at Galatasaray in the first leg, and a 3-1 FA Cup win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers complete a mixed sequence of two wins, one draw and two losses. Liverpool carry a heavy injury burden, with Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni all confirmed out, and Mohamed Salah listed as doubtful.

The head-to-head record in recent league meetings is perfectly level — two wins each and one draw across the last five. Most recently, City won 2-1 away at Liverpool in February 2026, while City also won 3-0 at home in November 2025. Liverpool’s wins came 2-0 away at City in February 2025 and 2-0 at home in December 2024.

UK and Irish supporters can watch on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and HBO Max from 12:45 GMT on Saturday. Fans in the United States can watch on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Select, fuboTV and the ESPN App. Indian viewers can follow on Sony LIV, SONY TEN 1 and JioTV. Australian supporters can stream via Stan Sport.

Possible line-ups

Manchester City (4-2-3-1) Trafford, Nunes, Aké, Sílva, O’Reilly, Khusanov, Rodri, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland

Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Mamardashvili, Kerkez, Dijk, Konaté, Gomez, Allister, Gravenberch, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Salah, Ekitiké

Injured Players:

Manchester City: Josko Gvardiol (Out), Rúben Dias (Doubtful), John Stones (Doubtful)

Liverpool: Alisson Becker (Out), Conor Bradley (Out), Wataru Endo (Out), Alexander Isak (Out), Giovanni Leoni (Out), Mohamed Salah (Doubtful)

Liverpool carry the heavier injury burden with five players ruled out including their first-choice goalkeeper and multiple attacking and midfield options. City are also without Gvardiol at left-back and face uncertainty over both of their senior centre-backs, which could significantly compromise their defensive structure for a fixture of this magnitude.

Manchester City Form — Last 5 Games

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
W	Arsenal	0-2	Manchester City	Carabao Cup	Mar 22, 2026
L	Manchester City	1-2	Real Madrid	Champions League	Mar 17, 2026
D	West Ham United	1-1	Manchester City	English Premier League	Mar 14, 2026
L	Real Madrid	3-0	Manchester City	Champions League	Mar 11, 2026
W	Newcastle United	1-3	Manchester City	English FA Cup	Mar 7, 2026

Liverpool Form — Last 5 Games

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
L	Brighton & Hove Albion	2-1	Liverpool	English Premier League	Mar 21, 2026
W	Liverpool	4-0	Galatasaray	Champions League	Mar 18, 2026
D	Liverpool	1-1	Tottenham Hotspur	English Premier League	Mar 15, 2026
L	Galatasaray	1-0	Liverpool	Champions League	Mar 10, 2026
W	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1-3	Liverpool	English FA Cup	Mar 6, 2026

Head To Head — Last 5 Games

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Date	Competition
Liverpool	1-2	Manchester City	Feb 8, 2026	English Premier League
Manchester City	3-0	Liverpool	Nov 9, 2025	English Premier League
Manchester City	0-2	Liverpool	Feb 23, 2025	English Premier League
Liverpool	2-0	Manchester City	Dec 1, 2024	English Premier League
Liverpool	1-1	Manchester City	Mar 10, 2024	English Premier League

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel(s)
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, HBO Max
Ireland	TNT Sports 1, HBO Max
United States	ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Select, fuboTV, ESPN App
Australia	Stan Sport
India	Sony LIV, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3, JioTV
Canada	Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet World
Germany	DAZN Germany, DAZN2 Germany
Netherlands	Viaplay Netherlands
Norway	Viaplay Norway, V Sport 1 Norway
Sweden	Viaplay Sweden