Category World News

Who: Manchester City vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
When: Sunday at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Games between Manchester City and Liverpool have often been regarded as key battles in Premier League title races in recent seasons, but Sunday’s encounter may merely point to which of the two clubs is best equipped to try to chase league leaders Arsenal.

By the time the weekend’s big game kicks off at the Etihad Stadium, Arsenal – who visit surprise-package Sunderland on Saturday – could be 10 points clear of champions Liverpool and nine ahead of Pep Guardiola’s City.

That scenario would increase the pressure on City and Liverpool, who head into the last round of fixtures before another international stoppage second and third respectively.

There are signs that both clubs are finding form. City have lost only once in their last 13 games in all competitions and on Wednesday pummelled Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League with Erling Haaland scoring his 18th club goal this season and a rejuvenated Phil Foden bagging a brace.

Liverpool have also emerged from a run of six defeats in seven matches in all competitions to beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid in their last two games.

Guardiola ‘desperate to play against Liverpool’

City lost home and away to the Reds last season as they were dethroned as champions, and City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he was surprised at Liverpool’s stumbles this season.

“Of course, but sometimes it’s about momentum,” Guardiola stated. “All the clubs are there except Arsenal, who are more consistent than anyone.

“But the season is long, so we try to be there and see what happens. To be hones,t I’m so excited and happy to prepare for Sunday. I’m desperate to play against Liverpool.”

Foden is ‘back’ warns City’s boss

The City and England forward lit up the win over Dortmund, scoring twice to register his first European goals this season and double his tally in all competitions.

City’s star academy graduate struggled for much of last season, opening up about off-field issues and injuries that affected him, but the signs are that the 25-year-old is back to his best, having been the stand-out player in City’s Premier League-winning 2023/24 campaign.

“Phil is back,” Guardiola said. “How many times have we seen Phil score these type of goals? We miss this a lot last season but this season I think he is going to help us a lot.”

Guardiola added, “He’s a special player [and] we need his goals and hopefully today was the first step to do it. It’s important to have him for the big, big match on Sunday [against Liverpool].”

Van Dijk says Liverpool must build from the back

Prior to a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, Liverpool had gone 10 matches without a clean sheet.

“It is easy to say now because we won twice in a row. In a world of chaos you have to stay calm and see perspective of things,” captain Virgil van Dijk said. “We all know how football works – it can change overnight.”

Liverpool face another huge test of their title defence on Sunday when Van Dijk faces Haaland, who has struck 26 times this season for club and country.

“You can see at the moment Arsenal are flying, and it is down to clean sheets and not conceding chances,” added Van Dijk.

“We have the quality to hurt anyone on the break – it starts with the defending. Today, you saw the hard work.

“We have to keep going. Sunday is going to be another difficult one.”

Slot looking forward to ‘Clasico’ against City

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said he was not surprised by his team’s return to form to win their last two games, but warned that playing at Manchester City would pose a far more difficult challenge.

“Our main focus is on consistency at the moment, as you know we’ve lost a few games, much more than we usually do … We were consistent but we were consistently losing. That wasn’t the idea,” a laughing Slot told reporters ahead of Sunday’s clash.

“It wasn’t a surprise for me how the last two games went. It was helpful that the other team did what we expected them to do,” he added.

Slot said Guardiola’s City were his immediate focus rather than the league table.

“Similar to the ‘Clasico,’ these are the few games everyone is looking forward to,” he said.

“What I like about Pep Guardiola’s teams is that 10 out of 10 times you get what you are hoping for – a great game of football, no time wasting or those kinds of things that I start to dislike more and more about football,” Slot said.

Head-to-head

Liverpool boast by far the better win ratio from the two clubs’ 218 encounters, with the Reds winning 110 matches, City winning 60, and 58 ending as draws.

The Reds’ league double over City last year included a 2-0 win at the Etihad in February, courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, that sent the eventual champions 11 points clear of City.

City’s last win over the Reds was a 4-1 thrashing at the Etihad in April 2023, on a tense day that included an apparent attack by Liverpool fans on the City team bus and Guardiola being accused of disrespectfully celebrating directly in front of Liverpool substitutes.

City’s team news

Guardiola seems to have the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from, with talismanic midfielder Rodri set to come into the team after recovering from injury to likely form a double-pivot with Nico Gonzalez.

While left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri has recovered from injury, Nico O’Reilly has excelled in his absence and may be the one tasked with trying to shackle Salah.

City’s predicted starting lineup

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Rodri, Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Liverpool’s team news

The Reds’ first choice keeper Alisson Becker remains injured, but Liverpool have the impressive Giorgi Mamardashvili to rely on between the sticks instead.

Slot confirmed that record signing Alexander Isak may be fit enough to make the squad following a groin problem but he may not be risked, while Curtis Jones is back in training after also suffering a groin injury.

Conor Bradley put in a sensational defensive display against Real Madrid in midweek and will surely retain his spot at right-back with Jeremie Frimpong ruled out for another six weeks, while Andy Robertson also impressed at left-back and may start again as new signing Milos Kerkez continues to adjust to life at Liverpool.

Liverpool’s predicted starting lineup

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that more than 1,400 people from 36 African nations are known to be fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, urging governments to warn their citizens against joining a conflict where they are “quickly killed”.

Speaking on Friday, Sybiha accused Moscow of enticing Africans into joining the war and signing military contracts that were “equivalent to … a death sentence”.

“Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate”, Sybiha wrote on X. “Most of them are immediately sent to the so-called ‘meat assaults’, where they are quickly killed.”

“Most mercenaries do not survive more than a month,” he said.

“Russia recruits nationals of African countries using a variety of methods. Some are offered money, while others are duped and do not realise what they are signing up for or are forced to do so under duress. Signing a contract is equivalent to signing a death sentence,” he added.

The minister’s warning came as several African governments acknowledged cases of their citizens joining Russian forces in Ukraine.

According to available information, at least 1436 citizens from 36 African countries are currently fighting in the ranks of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine. The number represents those identified, though the actual number could be higher.

Russia recruits nationals of African…

South Africa said on Thursday it was investigating how 17 of its nationals became involved with mercenary groups after the men issued distress calls seeking help to return home.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the South African men aged between 20 and 39 were lured into joining mercenary forces “under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts” and had issued distress calls after becoming trapped in the Donbas area of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Ramaphosa said it was not yet clear which side the men were fighting on, but Russia has been accused of recruiting men from other countries to fight in the war under the pretext of offering them jobs.

Russia has also been accused of tricking women from South Africa and other parts of Africa into working in Russian drone factories through social media campaigns promising them jobs in fields such as catering and hospitality.

Kenya also reported last month that some of its citizens had been detained in Russian military camps after being unwittingly caught up in the conflict.

In a post on social media on Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about “young Kenyans who have been illegally recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine” and both agreed to “raise awareness of the dangers of such ventures”.

Ruto said he asked his Ukrainian counterpart to “facilitate the release of any Kenyan in Ukrainian custody” and was grateful that Zelenskyy had agreed “to my appeal”.

I have had a fruitful phone conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa of Ukraine, and discussed various issues of mutual interest between our two peoples and countries.

We expressed concern over young Kenyans who have been illegally recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine, and…

According to Sybiha, the true number of African recruits by Russian forces could exceed the 1,436 identified so far. He added that most foreign fighters captured by Ukraine were taken during their first combat mission, and that Kyiv would soon release more details about the origins of these recruits who have been taken prisoner.

Ukrainian officials have long accused Russia of bolstering its ranks by enlisting fighters from abroad, often using deceptive tactics.

In August, Zelenskyy said Russian troops fighting near the border town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region included mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and several African countries, quoting reports from Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed those claims as “irresponsible remarks”, while Pakistan called them “baseless and unfounded”.

According to the Kyiv Independent news outlet, several hundred Chinese nationals have been fighting for Russia.

After Ukrainian troops reported capturing Chinese fighters in April, Zelenskyy said Russia was distributing recruitment videos through Chinese social media networks.

In October, the Kyiv Independent also reported the capture of a 22-year-old Indian national who had joined Russian forces to avoid a seven-year prison sentence for drug charges. Many foreign recruits, according to reports, are promised high salaries, Russian citizenship, or noncombat roles, only to be sent straight to the battlefield.

Ukraine also believes the largest contingent of foreign fighters in Russia’s ranks may come from Cuba, estimating that up to 20,000 Cubans have been recruited as mercenaries.