Published 9 October 2026. Analysis and predictions are our opinion,
not a guarantee of anything. 18+, please gamble responsibly.
Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday 11 October, kick-off 4.30pm UK time. It is the biggest game of the first weekend back from the international window, and both clubs have new men in charge. Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot at Liverpool in June. Enzo Maresca took over at City when Pep Guardiola resigned.
City are top with five wins from five, 15 points, 13 goals scored and five conceded. Liverpool are sixth on nine points, unbeaten, with two wins and three draws. The gap is six points after five games, and a home win would cut it to three.
The case for Liverpool
Liverpool have not lost. They have drawn too often, including a 2-2 Merseyside derby, but they have conceded four goals in five games, and Iraola’s teams are built to press and make life uncomfortable for sides that want the ball. Alexander Isak has four league goals, second only to Erling Haaland in the scoring chart. The problem is fitness. Isak came home from Sweden duty with a thigh problem that Sweden’s coach described as small, and Cody Gakpo was forced off with an ankle injury playing for the Netherlands against Serbia. Hugo Ekitike is out with the Achilles rupture he suffered in April, Conor Bradley is still recovering from knee surgery, and Giovanni Leoni is out with a cruciate injury. Federico Chiesa, out since pre-season with a back problem, has a chance of being involved. Iraola would not rule out Isak or Gakpo when he spoke on Wednesday, so both remain doubts rather than absentees.
The case for Manchester City
Five league wins, including 1-0 at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby, and Haaland top of the scoring chart with five. Rayan Cherki has three. City under Maresca have not dominated every game, but they have kept winning them, and that is what leaders do. The fortnight off the pitch has been harder. On 25 September an independent commission found City guilty on all but one of the 115 Premier League charges brought in February 2023. No sanctions have been set and City are expected to appeal, so nothing changes in the table yet.
There are fitness questions too. Haaland was substituted after 67 minutes of Norway’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal on 4 October and appeared to signal discomfort, though Norway’s coach Ståle Solbakken said the change had been planned after three games in ten days. Antoine Semenyo pulled out of the Ghana squad with an ankle problem, and Nico O’Reilly withdrew from England duty and went back to City for assessment.
What looks the smart angle
The market can barely separate them. William Hill go 2.62, a fraction over 8/5, on Liverpool, with Betfred at 8/5 (2.60). Betfred are the best partner price on City at 3/2 (2.50), against 29/20 (2.45) at William Hill. Betfred’s 11/4 (3.75) on the draw is the best partner price, ahead of 3.65, just over 13/5, at Virgin Bet and 13/5 (3.60) at William Hill. Virgin Bet are the shortest partner on both teams, at 31/20 (2.55) on Liverpool and 7/5 (2.40) on City. Among the books we have no deal with, Casumo’s 2.63 is the biggest Liverpool price in the table, and Grosvenor, Casumo and Unibet all match Betfred’s 11/4 on the draw. Nobody beats Betfred’s 3/2 on City.
City are marginal favourites away from home, which reflects five straight wins against a Liverpool side that has drawn three times. The case for Liverpool at 8/5 is home advantage and a defence that has hardly been breached. The case against is a forward line that may be without Isak and Gakpo. City at 3/2 rests heavily on Haaland being fit. With both sides carrying injury questions in attack, and Liverpool’s habit of drawing, the draw at 11/4 with Betfred looks the most interesting of the three. That is opinion on the prices as they stood when we wrote it, not a prediction. Team news on Friday will matter more than usual this weekend.
We hold no deal with Grosvenor, Casumo, Unibet, Coral, Paddy Power, Sky Bet or 888sport, which is why their prices do not link out.
Elsewhere
Manchester United host Tottenham on Saturday evening, and Arsenal play Leeds at lunchtime. Crystal Palace host Nottingham Forest earlier on Sunday. South Africa and Australia are into the third day of the first Test at Kingsmead, and the Shanghai Masters tennis is in its first week.
The sportsbook offers for Sunday at Anfield
This is the rare big game where every price on the board clears every partner’s qualifying bar, so the choice of offer comes down to the package and the conditions.
Ad: Betfred’s bet £10, get £50 in free bets is the largest, and it has the best partner price on the draw. The qualifying bet must be at Evens (2.0) or bigger, which Liverpool at 8/5, City at 3/2 and the draw at 11/4 all clear. The £50 arrives as £30 in sports free bets and £20 in Bet Builder free bets within 24 hours of settlement, valid seven days, and the deposit must be by debit card.
William Hill’s bet £10, get £30 in free bets has the best partner price on Liverpool and sets its bar at 1/2 (1.5). It needs promo code R30 and pays three £10 free bets that last seven days. PayPal, Skrill, NETELLER, Apple Pay and several other deposit methods do not count. Virgin Bet’s welcome offer pays £20 in free bets plus 2 x £5 Bet Builder tokens after a £10 deposit and a £10+ bet at 1/2 or bigger, with 14 days to place it. The Bet Builder tokens need a single selection at Evens or bigger, and a game this close offers plenty of those.
For the hours before kick-off, Virgin Bet runs 100 free spins on Eye of Horus and 100 free spins on King Kong Cash Even Bigger Bananas 2, both paying winnings as cash with no cap. William Hill’s 50 free spins on Mining Pots of Gold needs code M50 and a £10 stake, with a 24-hour spin expiry and a £30 cap on what you can withdraw.
If you think Anfield stops City’s run without Liverpool winning it, claim the Betfred welcome offer here and take the best partner price on the draw.
