Marc Guehi will face Liverpool, who he came desperately close to signing for in the summer, for the first time as a Manchester City player this weekend
07:00, 07 Feb 2026Updated 07:36, 07 Feb 2026
Marc Guehi speaks to Sky Sports ahead of Manchester City’s big match with Liverpool at Anfield
Marc Guehi has spoken about the prospect of playing against Liverpool for the first time as a Manchester City player. The England international has already faced the club he came so close to signing for in the summer twice this season.
And on both occasions he came out on top as he captained Crystal Palace to a last-gasp 2-1 Premier League victory at Selhurst Park in September followed by a comfortable 3-0 Carabao Cup success at Anfield the following month.
As is well-documented, the centre-back was on the verge of joining Liverpool on transfer deadline day in September only for Palace to pull the plug on the £35m deal at the last minute.
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The Reds were then expected to revive their bid for Guehi in the summer when his Eagles contract was set to expire. However, a spanner was thrown in the works last month when Man City made a £20m offer for his services.
With Palace mindful of the fact that they were set to lose their skipper for free, they accepted the offer and Guehi swiftly became City’s second signing of the transfer window after the £64m arrival of Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who had also been linked with Liverpool.
Had things worked out differently, Guehi could well have been wearing red in Sunday’s huge encounter at Anfield.
Instead he will be wearing the sky blue of City who, if Arsenal win at home to Sunderland on Saturday, could find themselves nine points off top spot in the title race.
And asked about facing Liverpool, Guehi told Sky Sports: “I said in previous interviews, it wasn’t really up to me, it was God’s plan, and God’s plan has come to full fruition.
“So I’m just looking forward to the game, against tough opposition, in a great environment, and we’ll be doing our best to get a win.”
The ECHO understands the Reds did not regard signing Guehi in the window just closed as a market opportunity compared to last summer and this coming summer, and therefore backed away from rivalling City.
Instead, Liverpool agreed a £60m deal to sign Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes, who will arrive on Merseyside in the summer.
Asked about how the move to City came about, Guehi, who was also linked with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, said: “Things happen quite quickly to be honest but it was how keen the club were and how sure the club were on me.
“I listened to the project and talked to the important people and I was very sure. So it happened in a very quick space of time.
“Just being here for two minutes, it feels like I’ve learned so much from every single person – from the players, the staff and of course the manager. In such a short space of time it feels like my head has been filled with so much knowledge. It’s exactly what I’ve wanted for so long, so it’s great.”
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Despite rumours, the Reds also failed to follow up their alleged interest in Semenyo, who has made a flying start to life at City, having scored four goals in six games.
Asked about Sunday’s big showdown, Semenyo said: “It’s exciting, for me anyway. These are the games that define the season essentially, especially for us wanting the top spot.
“We’re going to enjoy it. It’s going to be a tough game, but these are the games that define the season, so it’s going to be great.”