The greatest modern rivalry in the Premier League is comfortably Liverpool and Manchester City.
But neither are anywhere near the peak of their powers today.
Long gone are the days of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds finishing second with 97 bleeding points.
And long gone are the City centurion or Treble days. Nor are they capable of ‘one of them runs’ that wins them the Premier League title over Arsenal…we think.
The two Premier League giants lock horns at Anfield on Sunday and there’s no better fixture to wheel out a good old combined XI.
Featuring no Mohamed Salah or Ibrahima Konate, here we go…
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City)
Genuinely very, very tricky, this. Donnarumma is described as ‘arguably the best goalkeeper in the world’ in our Premier League Power Rankings, but Alisson has been so incredibly consistent and world-class for several years at Liverpool.
Taking everything into account, including this season’s form from both, it has to be the big Italian.
RB: Matheus Nunes (Man City)
Jeremie Frimpong over Nunes was one of many interesting Alan Shearer shouts as he made a fairly shambolic Citypool combined XI of his own, featuring eight Liverpool players, while we have eight Man City players…
Shearer is clearly disregarding injuries, as Frimpong is not fit to play on Sunday, something we will not do, not that it would have made much difference.
Nunes has gone from an unconvincing makeshift right-back to an integral part of Guardiola’s team. We are both surprised and pleased to see the ex-Wolves man thrive after a shaky start to life at the Etihad.
CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
The first Liverpool inclusion is their club captain, Van Dijk. He has not been at his best this season but he is 34 years old and surrounded by morons.
Liverpool’s rubbish performances this season, particularly from October to December, made Van Dijk look a lot worse than he actually is, and the Reds’ inferiority in matches can be underlined by Van Dijk leading the Premier League in clearances for the majority of 2025/26. He is now four behind first-placed Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth, but the point is that he shouldn’t be near the top.
Van Dijk does lead the division this season for touches, passes completed and aerial duels won, and is one of five outfielders yet to miss a single minute. Machine.
CB: Marc Guehi (Man City)
Really should have been lining up with Van Dijk, against City, at Anfield.
Crystal Palace selling their captain for £20million six months before his contract expired, and him leaving for nothing otherwise, was a nice middle ground for them and City, who might have waited until then to save some pennies but desperately needed him in January. The £40m Liverpool agreed to pay last summer was wildly unrealistic so close to the Bosman rule kicking in. So everybody wins. Except Liverpool and Oliver Glasner.
Guehi will probably get booed at Anfield and that would be absolutely hilarious.
LB: Nico O’Reilly (Man City)
A true revelation at left-back, O’Reilly has also moved from midfield to become a more than competent full-back under managerial genius Guardiola. That nurturing and management is also good news for England ahead of a World Cup with uncertainty in the left-back position.
Liverpool’s Milos Kerkez has vastly improved on his early-season form but this was a no-brainer for us, Clive.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s player of the season and one of only three Reds in this combined XI, which is funny, because the champions will probably beat City.
In Liverpool’s lowest ebb, Szoboszlai was the only player performing to an acceptable level. He wants a new contract and he has most certainly earned one.
CM: Rodri (Man City)
Difficult to ignore an actual Ballon d’Or winner, isn’t it? That is all there is to be said…
AM: Rayan Cherki (Man City)
A genuine joy to watch every time he steps on the pitch, Cherki is one of very few football mavericks left in the so-called Beautiful Game.
His nutmeg on Dan Burn was beautiful. His rabona assist for Phil Foden was beautiful. His belter against Brentford was beautiful. He is just a beautiful footballer.
The debate between him and Florian Wirtz quickly became laughable, but the latter is really coming into his game and was considered for this combined XI, either as our attacking midfielder or left-winger. He’s not quite there yet and there is no doubt Cherki has been much better in 2025/26.
Back in May, we said he’d be a good signing for Leeds United. Imagine.
RW: Antoine Semenyo (Man City)
Touted as Mohamed Salah’s long-term replacement at Liverpool, Semenyo hasn’t just become a potential understudy to the great Egyptian, but someone most people holding no sentimental value would take over Salah now.
Just like with Guehi, Liverpool screwed the pooch by not signing Semenyo. There was interest last summer but the champions were too high from p*ssing off Newcastle United, and when it emerged that the Ghanaian would be leaving Bournemouth in January, they felt like a shoo-in.
In a season in which multiple mistakes were made, not signing Semenyo is right up there.
LW: Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
Would it be a true combined XI if someone wasn’t shifted ever so slightly out of position? Well, yes. Of course it would.
But in classic Garth Crooks fashion, Liverpool’s best summer signing is our left-winger. He has massively impressed and managed to embarrass luxury signing Alexander Isak with how much better he has been.
And no, there’s no Phil Foden here.
ST: Erling Haaland (Man City)
Misfiring? Yes. Out of form? Absolutely. Suddenly crap and useless? Of course not.
Haaland has the perfect opportunity to silence his doubters with a goal at Anfield. It’s the only Premier League stadium he has played in and not scored at. And it’s Guardiola’s most difficult away day.
He could do with a statement performance and City could do with a statement result. For all of Liverpool’s difficulties, winning at Anfield would send a clear message to Arsenal: We are not going anywhere.
READ MORE: Big Weekend: Liverpool v Man City, Man United, Oliver Glasner, Igor Thiago
