In the middle of the current week, Manchester City finally dispelled all questions about their current status. Pep Guardiola's team in their current state can only claim to win the FA Cup if they fully concentrate on this competition, as well as a place in the Champions League zone of the English championship. Real Madrid scored six goals in two matches, inflicting two dissimilar defeats on the Citizens. In the first case, there were deep psychological problems in the Mancunian team, in the second - problems in defence and game organisation. After a huge number of matches this season, in which Manchester City allowed their opponents to get back on track and frustratingly lost points in the final minutes of games, it is beginning to seem that it is too early for the Citizens to beat European-level opponents. Liverpool certainly fall into that category. The level of play of the Reds has slightly decreased compared to the first half of the season, but it is not critical. Including is not reflected in the positions in the championship, which Slot's team holds not the first month. Bookmakers have identified the guests as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 2.30 on their victory.

Manchester City in recent weeks alternate wins and losses. The team has already dropped out of half of the tournaments in which it started the season. Earlier, the "citizens" left the English League Cup, on Wednesday - the Champions League. In the championship, Guardiola's team is seventeen points behind the leader, so its players do not have to think about defending the title. More tangible may be the goal of securing a foothold in the Champions League zone, in which Manchester City returned after the results of the last round.

Liverpool won the first half of the season in the Premier League, as well as the overall Champions League stage, thanks to which they missed out on the knockout stages. The Merseyside club has its own problems. In the last three rounds of the championship of England they scored five out of nine possible points. The first meeting between the rivals in the season took place on the 1st of December 2024 and ended with a dominant 2-0 victory for Liverpool. In the upcoming match, Liverpool will also be closer to victory.