Manchester City's hopes of competing for the Premier League title this season will be on the line when they face champions Liverpool as visitors on Sunday in the 25th round of the competition. Manchester City, who are seeking to reclaim the title that eluded them last season, are in second place with 47 points, six points behind Arsenal, who top the table, with 14 rounds remaining. Manchester City has suffered a points drain in the league recently, winning just one of their last six matches, with four draws and a defeat, which has forced them to demand the three points in the upcoming match at Anfield, Liverpool's fortress. Despite the series of dropped points, their Spanish manager Pep Guardiola still clings to hope of competing for the top spot and winning the title. Guardiola said after his team's 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at home in the last round: 'We are playing at a high level. We will prepare for the next match.' On the other hand, Liverpool are looking to avenge their crushing 0-3 defeat to Manchester City in their last encounter in the competition at the United Stadium in November last year. Liverpool, who are in sixth place with 39 points, hope to build on their big 4-1 win over Newcastle United at home in the last round, especially as the match is being played on their home ground and in front of their fans, who have felt great disappointment with the team's results this season, despite the blockbuster deals they made in the last summer transfer window. Liverpool's main goal now is to be in the top four, which qualifies for next season's UEFA Champions League, after their hopes of competing for the title this season have faded. The match may witness an Egyptian face-off between Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's star, and Omar Marmoush, Manchester City's striker, who led the national team to the semi-finals of the last Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded in Morocco last month. On another front, Arsenal will face a not-so-easy match on Saturday against visitors Sunderland, who are in eighth place with 36 points, as the London side seeks to achieve a second consecutive victory. Six points (the gap with Arsenal).
