Liverpool vs Man City: the unbeaten against the perfect

Liverpool vs Manchester City at Anfield, 16:30 BST on Sunday 11 October, is the match of matchday six and the first time this season two unbeaten sides meet. City have won all five of their matches, the only perfect record in the division. Liverpool have won two and drawn three, and have not lost.

City will be without Phil Foden, sent off for violent conduct in the Manchester derby, who is due to serve the last match of a three-match ban. They arrive off a 5-3 win over Sunderland in which they conceded three times, more than in their previous four matches combined.

Liverpool: unbeaten, and still drawing at home

Liverpool drew 2-2 at Newcastle United, drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest, won 2-0 at Ipswich Town, drew 0-0 with Fulham and won 1-0 at Bournemouth through Alexander Isak. Seven scored, four conceded, nine points and three clean sheets.

The oddity is Anfield. Liverpool’s two home matches have both been drawn, 2-2 with Forest and 0-0 with Fulham, and both wins have come away. They have kept clean sheets in their last two matches and have not conceded more than twice in any.

City: five from five

City beat Bournemouth 2-1, won 4-1 at Crystal Palace, beat Coventry City 1-0, won 1-0 at Old Trafford and beat Sunderland 5-3. Thirteen scored, five conceded, fifteen points. They have scored in every match and have won both away games, conceding once on the road.

The Sunderland result showed a side that can be got at: Sunderland had more shots on target and scored three times. It also showed a side that keeps scoring, with Antoine Semenyo getting two and Erling Haaland one. City have not yet played anyone who has taken points from them, and Liverpool are the first opponent on the list who has not lost either.

• Liverpool: 9 points from their first five, 7 scored, 4 conceded, unbeaten
• Liverpool at home: drawn 2, 2 scored, 2 conceded
• Manchester City: 15 points from their first five, 13 scored, 5 conceded, perfect record
• City away: won 2, 5 scored, 1 conceded
• Phil Foden (Manchester City) is due to serve the final match of a three-match ban
• Kick-off: Sunday 11 October, 16:30 BST, Anfield

Last time out

Liverpool won 1-0 at Bournemouth on 20 September. Alexander Isak scored on fifty-seven minutes from the centre of the box and was booked a minute later for the celebration. Liverpool had twelve shots and three on target in a match that produced very little else.

City beat Sunderland 5-3 at the Etihad the same afternoon. Enzo Fernandez scored from a free kick, Rayan Cherki added a second, Antoine Semenyo scored twice and Erling Haaland got the fifth, while Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick for Sunderland. City had six shots on target to Sunderland’s nine.

Where the table stands

After five matches City are top on fifteen points, three clear of Arsenal. Liverpool are sixth on nine, level with Brentford, Leeds United and Everton, and six points behind City.

That is the arithmetic of Sunday. A City win puts nine points between them after six matches. A Liverpool win cuts it to three and ends the only perfect record in the league. A draw leaves the gap at six and keeps both sides unbeaten.

What decides it

City’s record says they win; Liverpool’s home record says they draw. Liverpool have conceded two goals at Anfield in two matches and City have scored in every match this season, so the most probable route to a Liverpool win is to keep City to one and score twice, which Liverpool have done once all season.

A draw would end City’s perfect run and keep Liverpool unbeaten. A City win would open a gap of nine points over a direct rival before the middle of October. A Liverpool win would make it a title race after six matches.

Anfield has given Liverpool two draws from two, and the more interesting of them is the 2-2 against Nottingham Forest, a side that has since failed to score in three home matches. Liverpool’s wins have both come away from home and both by clean sheets. City’s two away matches this season have produced a 4-1 at Crystal Palace and a 1-0 at Old Trafford. On the road, City have conceded one goal in two matches.

Simulate it before it happens

City are perfect and Liverpool are unbeaten. On the Premier League simulator you can play Sunday’s match at Anfield now and carry the real table forward from whichever result it gives you.

• Play the remaining 33 rounds from the real table and the real fixture list
• Run this fixture through the AI match simulator, in tactical view or in the physics arena
• Open the line-up builder for both clubs before you kick off a simulation
• Turn an arena simulation into a vertical video ready to share

"Manchester City have won all five. Liverpool have not lost any of theirs, and have drawn both at Anfield."