Julian Alvarez will start up front for City in this afternoon's Premier League meeting with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

The Argentine striker, winner of our Nissan Goal of the Month for his finish against Burnley, will play in a central striking position.

Erling Haaland has not made the matchday squad after withdrawing from Norway’s recent international fixtures through injury.

Phil Foden is also unavailable after appendix surgery last week.

How to follow City v Liverpool

Elsewhere in the City side, there are six changes to the team that hammered Burnley 6-0 in our last outing two weeks ago.

Ederson, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish come in.

As well as Foden and Haaland, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte and Rico Lewis drop out.

Teams

CITY XI: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Mahrez, Grealish, Alvarez

Subs: Ortega Moreno, Walker, Phillips, Laporte, Bernardo, Gomez, Perrone, Palmer, Lewis

LIVERPOOL XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott, Jota, Salah, Gakpo

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Milner, Firmino, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Nunez, Arthur, Matip

Tactics

Ederson will be protected by the back four of Stones, Akanji, Dias and Ake that were so solid in the weeks before the international break.

Big City Weekender

Rodrigo will be at the base of the midfield with De Bruyne and Gundogan finding spaces ahead of him.

Grealish will be wide left and Mahrez wide right, supplying Alvarez through the middle.

ALVAREZ up top

Our Argentine, who recently signed an extended contract, has excelled in his first season in Manchester.

The world-leading form of Erling Haaland may have meant several substitute appearances, but Alvarez has grabbed every opportunity handed to him.

The No.19 has five goals in six Premier League starts so far. He has completed more sprint per 90 (22.5) than any other City player and averages 3.3 shots per match too.

solid formula

After a season with lots of changes to the backline, Guardiola seems to have settled on his preferred back four.

We have kept five clean sheets in a row, with these four playing together at Crystal Palace and in the home win over RB Leipzig.

John Stones will start on the right and wander into midfield to support Rodrigo while Ake on the other side will fly forward in support of winger Jack Grealish.

Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji in the middle provide the perfect mix of leadership and composure needed in that position.

Match stats

  • Manchester City have lost just one of our last 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool (W7 D5), going down 4-1 in November 2015 under Manuel Pellegrini.
  • Liverpool have won more Premier League games against reigning champions than any other side (23). They’re looking to achieve their first such double since 2013-14, beating Manchester United 1-0 at home and 3-0 away under Brendan Rodgers.
  • Manchester City have won our last three Premier League games, but have yet to win four in a row in 2022-23. We last did so in April/May last season (a run of five).
  • Liverpool have taken just 12 points from their 13 Premier League away games this season (W3 D3 L7), compared to 30 at home. They have the biggest difference between points won at home and on the road in the Premier League this season (18).
  • Manchester City have played more through balls than any other side in the Premier League this season (64). Among players, Kevin De Bruyne has played more than any other player (21), while Erling Haaland has received more through balls than anyone else (18).
  • Liverpool have failed to score in seven different Premier League games this season, with six of these coming away from home. They last failed to score in more different matches on the road in 2011-12 (8). In all competitions, the Reds could lose three consecutive matches without scoring for the first time since October 2009.
  • Mohamed Salah has scored in all three of Liverpool’s games against Man City this season, in the Premier League, Community Shield and EFL Cup. The last Liverpool player to score in four different games against an opponent in a single campaign was Ian Rush, netting in five different meetings with Everton in 1986-87 (including the English Super Cup).
  • Erling Haaland has scored 42% of Man City‘s Premier League goals this season (28/67), while his goals have also been worth 20 points to the Citizens. All three (28 goals, 42% and 20 points) are the highest by a Manchester City player in a single Premier League campaign.
  • Erling Haaland has scored 42 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this season, including six hat-tricks (all at the Etihad). Only two players have scored more in a single campaign for a Premier League club (since 1992-93) – Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002-03 and Mohamed Salah in 2017-18 (both 44).