Erling Haaland returns, Manuel Akanji starts, Ilkay Gundogan on the bench - Predicted Team: Liverpool vs Manchester City (Premier League)

Manchester City will travel to Anfield to go head-to-head with Liverpool on Sunday.

After succumbing to a 0-0 draw against FC Copenhagen, Manchester City will have added motivation to beat Liverpool in their upcoming encounter on Sunday evening.

However, City have been in blistering form in the Premier League lately, with high-scoring victories against Wolves, Manchester United and Southampton in their last three games.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Liverpool fell to a 3-2 loss against Arsenal last Sunday.

Sitting 10th in the league table, Jurgen Klopp has already surrendered his side’s chances of becoming champions, which indicates how south things have gone for them so far this season.

In a clash between two of English football’s biggest hitters in recent years, here is how we expect the favourites in the form of the Premier League champions to line-up.

Predicted Team

Week in, week out, Ederson is the first name on City’s team sheet and that is not set to change in a big game against Liverpool.

Manuel Akanji’s impressive performance as a right-back against FC Copenhagen could mean he gets a start against Jurgen Klopp’s men in the same position.

Ruben Dias stood out in defence against the Danish side as well, and could be set to start next Sunday.

With Aymeric Laporte being eased back into the side after a lengthy layoff due to injury, Nathan Ake could be in line to start from the off.

It goes without saying that Joao Cancelo will occupy his usual left-back role, as he continues to arguably be the finest player in the position across Europe this season.

Nathan Ake, Manchester City.

Coming off the back of a Man of the Match display in Copenhagen, Rodri showed Pep Guardiola why he remains an undroppable presence in the middle of the park.

Considering Ilkay Gundogan played the entire game in the Danish capital, Bernardo Silva is likely to partner Rodri in midfield.

Much like in Joao Cancelo’s case, Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible performances speak for themselves in emphasising why he is a guaranteed starter, especially in a big game like Sunday's.

Rodri celebrates winning the Premier League (Xinhua / Alamy)

With Phil Foden and Erling Haaland both rested in the Sky Blues’ previous game, it was clear to see that Pep Guardiola wanted to wrap the in-form pair in cotton wool ahead of the contest at Anfield.

Keeping in mind that Jack Grealish has found a sense of rhythm in his recent performances, it would be a surprise to see him benched in successive Premier League games.

Jack Grealish in Champions League action for Manchester City.

Starting XI: Ederson; Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Joao Cancelo; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne; Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish.

Substitutes: Stefan Ortega Moreno, Rico Lewis, Aymeric Laporte, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Sergio Gomez, Ilkay Gundogan, Cole Palmer, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez.