The impact on the title race aside, it is why this game has become one of the most talked about fixtures in world football over the last five years.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are the types of match winners the game has long revered and that’s not likely to change any time soon.
What has changed under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, is that the role of the match winner no longer belongs solely to a select few forwards.
It is a measure of the importance of the position that despite all the ability in the two sides’ forward lines, it was the influence of the respective full-backs that Guardiola was asked about at his pre-match press conference.
“Today the position of full-backs is more important in how teams must play,” he said. “The four full-backs on Sunday, they are exceptional.”
Joao Cancelo, Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have proven themselves to be just that over the course of City and Liverpool’s battle for Premier League supremacy.
They are among the best in the world in their position and vital to their respective team’s attacking set-up.
Cancelo and Alexander-Arnold in particular have revolutionised the full-back role, becoming key influences in the final third with styles of play that resemble their midfield counterparts.
A quick glance at the stats columns underlines their importance. No player in the Premier League has had more touches or made more passes than Cancelo, whilst Alexander-Arnold leads the way for assists.
It is a reflection of City’s and Liverpool’s dominance.
So often, this quartet of players are stationed high and wide as both teams control games, and one of Sunday’s more intriguing tactical battles will be whether they are able to do the same against a side with similar attacking intent.
Given the quality of the winger’s they will be facing, can Cancelo, Walker, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson play with their usual freedom?
“I think in this sort of game timing is key,” says former City defender Nedum Onuoha, whose 426-game career included 100 appearances at right-back.
“Both of these sides often tend to be the dominant side, so the full-backs can naturally get higher because they have a ton of possession and can control the game.
“In this one it’s more a case of, is possession comfortable? Because then it’s still going to be the right decision [to get forward].
“If you’re thinking at it from an attacking standpoint, the full-backs will want to get involved because you can maybe then create an overload which will apply pressure.
“If your winger or your forward has got the ball out wide, you want a full-back to support so you can create the overload from that side.”
The ebb and flow of the game means the defenders won’t be the only players considering whether they need to adjust their approach against their title rivals.
Guardiola and Klopp will want their forwards to focus on affecting the game in the final third, but both managers will expect their wingers to remain alert defensively.
Foden and Bernardo Silva are two players who work tirelessly on the flanks for City and, given the quality and intent of both sets of full-backs, it will be a demanding afternoon for the wide men at the Etihad.
Shaun Wright-Phillips was not one to shirk his defensive duties during his time in a sky-blue shirt and he says supporting your full-back does not have to be to the detriment of a winger’s attacking output due to the opportunities it creates on the break.
“I think the most important thing is to be able to help your full-back,” explained the former City and England wide man.
“I think once you’ve figured that part out then you know where the space is effectively for you, so it’s on consistently for the counter-attack.
“Say Trent and Robertson go so far forward, it leaves massive holes and Ederson’s the type of goalkeeper who plays that quickly that all you need to do is spring from that attack and normally that’s where the space is to start your own counter-attack.
“In general, at some point it can be cute to cheat because if play does break down and you know where the space is, it draws either Fabinho or Henderson across, which then makes room for one of the central midfielders to create something because they’re then out of position.”
Despite the threats both teams carry out wide, it is in engine room that Wright-Phillips believes the game will be decided.
“I think the midfield controls it,” he adds.
“In the last game between the two sides the reason why it ended the way it did was because it was a great midfield battle.”
That may be the case, but it would not be a surprise to see Cancelo and Alexander-Arnold exert significant influence on proceedings.
Their ability to create chances like a playmaker is what sets them apart and that is something their managers have capitalised on to transform the way in which the position is viewed in the Premier League.
The benefits to both teams are obvious and, whilst the outcome of Sunday’s game will be about the collective effort of both players, the importance of the full-backs cannot be overstated.
“Liverpool have got a very front foot style of football which then suits Alexander-Arnold,” says Onuoha.
“The way he plays wouldn’t necessarily suit every team in the Premier League, and you could say the same for City’s full-backs.
“Liverpool’s full-backs are quality on the ball, and you see the amount of assists they have.
“You can’t really think of many teams in Premier League history who have that level of quality to be providing for their front line - it’s bonkers.
“From the City standpoint, I think the football IQ required to be part of Pep’s side is something which we haven’t really seen before.
“Cancelo could be out wide on the left-hand side or he could be in the number six position.
“I think there’s a level of creativity that exists within that City side which we don’t see because it’s creativity from structure.
“You need to fully understand it to feel the benefit of it and I think every person on that field, does the job they’re asked to do better than pretty much most things you’ve probably seen in your lifetime.
“I think the full-backs form a big part of that, whereas in the past, it was just a position where you just send somebody because you need to fill the position.
“Now, it’s an integral part of the game for both sides.”
