The Spanish midfielder has been side-lined since suffering a hamstring injury in our Champions League home clash against Atalanta last month but has overcome the problem and returns for the trip to Merseyside.
As the boss confirmed on Friday, Claudio Bravo starts in goal, in place of the injured Ederson, while defensive trio Kyle Walker, John Stones and Angelino along with striker Sergio Aguero also return to the starting line-up.
And in a further boost for the Champions, midfielder David Silva has also overcome the muscular injury which ruled him out of the midweek trip to Italy and is named on the substitutes bench.
City team
Starting XI: Bravo, Walker, Fernandinho (c), Stones, Angelino, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Aguero, Sterling
Subs: Carson, Cancelo, Otamendi, Silva, Mahrez, Foden, Jesus
Liverpool team
Starting XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Mane, Salah, Firmino,
Subs: Adrian, Milner, Keita, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Origi.
Formation
City will once again look to deploy a 4-3-3 formation for the trip to Anfield.
Fernandinho and Stones will form the central defensive bulwark with the full-backs Walker and Angelino looking to combine their defensive duties with providing extra support in the final third.
Rodrigo will be the deepest lying midfielder, a role he has hugely impressed in so far this season, with De Bruyne and Gundogan adding further craft and guile from midfield.
In the front three, Bernardo will take up his usual position on the right flank, with Sterling on the other and Aguero deployed through the middle.
Pep’s pre-match thoughts
“Statistics? I don’t think about much those, but a long time without winning shows how difficult it is to succeed at Anfield.
“Maybe Sunday, it will end. Life goes on. It’s a game and we will do what we have do to win try and win it.
“I cannot explain our record there. I can explain my periods there. In the last few minutes, we had a penalty to win at Anfield last season.
“It’s not easy to go to stadiums like Anfield. They are bigger stages and Liverpool are a good team - what can I say? Everybody knows it.”
Last time
Stats
- City have won 11 of our last 12 Premier League away matches, while scoring 30 goals at an average of 2.5 per fixture,
- Sergio Aguero has scored 49 goals in 79 Sunday Premier League matches and could become just the second player to reach 50 on that day of the week after Wayne Rooney, who struck 63 times in 142 fixtures.
- Liverpool have only lost one of their last 28 top-flight home matches against City and are unbeaten in their last 16 against them at Anfield in the Premier League (W11 D5).
- Roberto Firmino has had a hand in seven goals in his eight Premier League matches against City, scoring four and assisting three. He has both scored and set up a goal in three different meetings with the Blues.
