Liverpool vs Man City: Kevin De Bruyne to start? Will Trent Alexander-Arnold lose his place? The key selection dilemmas

Premier League title challengers Liverpool and Manchester City clash in a big clash at Anfield on Sunday live on Sky Sports – but both managers have big selection decisions to make.

Arne Slot's Reds have the upper hand in the match and can extend their lead at the top of the table over Man City to as much as 11 points. Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, will be desperate for a win to break the defending champions' shocking run of form.

But who will be the players that will help these managers achieve their goals? With injuries and form impacting key figures on both sides of the showdown, we're choosing some selection decisions…

Kelleher or Alisson?

Slot's first decision is who he chooses in goal. For many seasons Alisson would have been an automatic choice, but since missing with a hamstring injury, his substitute Caoimhin Kelleher has been excellent.

His striking penalty save from Kylian Mbappe was his third penalty stop of the season for club and country, and there is no doubt that the Republic of Ireland international has seized his opportunity this season, keeping five clean sheets and conceding just seven to let. goals in 10 games when asked.

But the more experienced Alisson outpaces Kelleher in terms of save percentage and goals prevented data this season. Will Slot throw the Brazilian back into the mix on Sunday?

Bradley or Alexander-Arnold?

Conor Bradley shone brightly for Liverpool last season, but excitement over his potential as a future Reds first-team regular reached a new level on Wednesday with his booming tackle on Mbappe and overall performance against Real Madrid.

Could he keep Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the Liverpool team? Maybe not this weekend as a hamstring injury is a problem. Slot was unable to provide an update on the Northern Ireland international's fitness status at his press conference on Thursday, but he did confirm that Alexander-Arnold is ready to return following his recent injury layoff. Joe Gomez is an alternative if both cannot start.

Who will step in for Konate?

One change Slot would not want to make is breaking the centre-back ranks of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, but his hand has been forced. Konate was almost caught when the full-time whistle blew by Real Madrid's Endrick and it took him a long time to get to his feet before limping off the pitch. It has since been confirmed that he will be unavailable due to a knee injury.

Will 21-year-old Jarell Quansah replace him? This season he only made four appearances. Gomez is again an alternative, having made eight appearances.

Time to throw in De Bruyne?

Guardiola has been understandably cautious about his use of Kevin De Bruyne in recent weeks, given the Belgium international's injury problems. But with City's title hopes certainly on the line this Sunday, this feels like an all-or-nothing moment for the defending champions, who may have to throw everything they have at Liverpool for a rare win at Anfield and turn the story around. this title race.

How many minutes can City's best playmaker last? Maybe now is the time to find out…

Dias on the defensive?

Another City fanatic who has been on the sidelines is Ruben Dias. He went off injured at half-time of City's Carabao Cup defeat at Spurs and his teammates have not won a game without him since.

Their backline cries out for his authority, calmness and leadership, and if he has recovered from a muscle problem – which appears to be the case as he was benched in midweek – then he should definitely be back in the team.

Hind thoughts for Pep…

The sight of Kyle Walker being overtaken by Timo Werner was shocking. How influential could it be in Guardiola's selection thoughts for this match?

Was it a case of Walker, deep into a match, simply getting caught by another substitute? Or are the statistics surrounding Walker's declining top speeds and dribbling past opponents the signal of a more permanent decline? Rico Lewis will compete for his place at right back.

On the other hand, Josko Gvardiol is going through a difficult time after making serious mistakes against Tottenham and Feyenoord last week. He offered many options, especially against Spurs, but Nathan Aké could switch to left back if Dias returns and Guardiola is concerned about the Croat's dip.

Diaz or Gakpo? Or both?

Whoever City choose at right-back, it could be anyone's guess who they will face. Slot famously alternated between Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, and after the former started against Real Madrid, it was the latter who stepped up to head in Liverpool's second.

However, it is not a direct selection choice; there is also the option for Slot to play Diaz through the middle in place of Darwin Nunez, as he has done at times this season, and have Gakpo come in from the left. Mohamed Salah on the right is clearly locked up.

Midfield layout?

A question for both managers will be who takes the spots in midfield. For Liverpool, Slot could look to rotate in Dominik Szoboszlai for Curtis Jones after the Hungarian came on in place of the England international on Wednesday. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will certainly combine with whoever gets the nod from Szoboszlai and Jones.

As for City, the Ilkay Gundogan-Rico Lewis duo behind Phil Foden were overwhelmed by an energetic Tottenham last weekend and the fear from Guardiola's side will be the same result as possible at Anfield.

Will Matheus Nunes start there again? With Mateo Kovacic still in the treatment room – next to the long-term absent Rodri – there are not many options.

If Guardiola wants to involve De Bruyne from the start, some reshuffling may be required. Could Foden move to the right or left wing to accommodate the Belgian?

The uncertainty of all of the above adds to the intrigue of this huge match on Sunday…

Watch Liverpool vs Man City on Sky Sports on Super Sunday from 3.30pm; starting at 4 p.m. Buy Sky Sports or stream NOW.