Iraola: Liverpool must be 'very, very good' to beat Man City

📰 Andoni Iraola has warned that Liverpool must be at their best to stop unbeaten leaders Manchester City at Anfield. 📌 Key points 🗣️ Iraola said Liverpool must be "very, very good" to beat City. 🩹 Isak and Gakpo came back injured from international duty and are doubts. 🧑‍⚖️ Chris Kavanagh will referee, with Paul Howard on VAR. 🕓 Kick-off is 4.30pm BST on Sunday 11 October at Anfield. 📅 It is the first such meeting since March 2015 without Klopp or Guardiola. 📝 What happened 🎙️ Speaking to the club's official website on 7 October, Iraola said: "They've won all of them, so it makes a big difference. We need to be very, very good if we want to beat City." He also highlighted City's attacking threat after a run of high-scoring games. ⚖️ Reflecting on the season so far, he said there had been "a good amount of games already to analyse" and stressed the balance between intensity and control, admitting the attack had lacked fluidity recently. He added: "I prefer to win 4-3 because at the end you win the game the same way and the game has been more entertaining." 🩹 On injuries, he said: "Alex Isak and Cody Gakpo both have had to leave the national teams with injuries," adding that it is a question of whether they recover in time. 🧑‍⚖️ The Premier League has appointed Chris Kavanagh as referee, with Dan Cook and Nick Greenhalgh as assistants, Andy Madley as fourth official and Paul Howard on VAR. 📊 By the numbers • First league meeting since March 2015 without Klopp or Guardiola • Average of 3.1 goals per game in recent meetings (since 2018) • Liverpool press 48.9% of opposition touches in the opposition half, the league's highest 👀 What to watch 🛡️ Perfect v unbeaten — City have won every league game and Liverpool are unbeaten. One of those runs could end here. 🩹 Isak and Gakpo — if neither forward recovers in time, Iraola will have to reshape his attack. He says it is a race against time. 🔥 Press v press-resistance — Liverpool lead the league for pressing in the opposition half, while City's 83% pass accuracy under high-intensity pressure is the best in the division. The midfield battle could decide it. 🏟️ Iraola's record — avoiding defeat would make Iraola only the third permanent Liverpool manager, after Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, to go unbeaten in his first six top-flight matches. 🔭 Why it matters It is the first game after a three-week international break and a big pointer for the early title race. City arrive amid the fallout from their guilty verdict, while Liverpool have a chance at home to halt the leaders' charge. Kick-off is 4.30pm BST on Sunday 11 October at Anfield.