Match Preview: Manchester City vs Liverpool (Carabao Cup)

Manchester City return to action on Thursday night with a clash against Premier League rivals Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

On Saturday afternoon, City played for the first time in over a month, as they took on fellow City Football Group side Girona at the Academy Stadium, following a long break due to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

16 players from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad featured in the Middle-East tournament, with Julian Alvarez and his Argentinian teammates lifting the trophy for their country for the first time in 36 years.

The friendly on the weekend failed to serve much of a contest, with the Cityzens coming out on top as 2-0 winners. The Sky Blues’ scoring opened just five minutes into the match, with a Kevin De Bruyne goal coming from a misplaced pass from Paulo Gazzaniga.

Erling Haaland would double Manchester City’s lead a few minutes later, as he received a cross from Kevin De Bruyne, before sending the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

While several first-team players did make it into the starting squad, the Blues’ friendly proved to also be an opportunity for a host of academy stars to get more experience with the senior squad and stake a claim to be in contention to feature against Liverpool.

Cole Palmer, Rico Lews, Morgan Rogers, Shea Charles, and Carlos Borges were among the young prospects that were given the opportunity to play against the La Liga side.

This trend may continue in Manchester City’s upcoming match against Liverpool in the next round of the Carabao Cup, as Pep Guardiola continues to see his squad return in a staggered fashion from the World Cup.

In the weeks leading up to the break, the Merseyside club has started to recover from their shaky start to the season, winning three of their previous five Premier League matches and playing three friendlies ahead of the campaign’s resumption.

Jurgen Klopp’s side also beat Manchester City at Anfield in October, as Mohamed Salah capitalized on a Joao Cancelo mistake.

When?

Manchester City against Liverpool will take place on Thursday 22 December, with the kick-off scheduled for 20:00 (GMT).

Where?

The fourth-round match between Manchester City and Liverpool will take place at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

How to Watch?

For viewers in the United Kingdom, you can view the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Sky Sports.

For viewers in the United States, you can view the match on ESPN+, with kick-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST.