Lewis Koumas leads Liverpool against Manchester City in first Premier League start

Lewis Koumas makes his first Premier League start for Liverpool, leading the attack against Manchester City at Anfield. The 21-year-old takes the central forward role with Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak absent, supported by Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz.

Liverpool’s team news also includes Jeremy Jacquet, who is fit to start. Dominik Szoboszlai is not in the matchday squad; he has scored once in the league this season. Koumas’s selection is the headline change, giving Liverpool a first league start for the young forward against the side leading the table.

Liverpool’s starting XI is Alisson, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Wirtz, Mac Allister, Munoz, Barcola, Araujo, Gravenberch and Koumas. The substitutes are Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Chiesa, Tsimikas, Frimpong, Nyoni, McConnell and Ngumoha.

The attacking options named in the starting side place Barcola and Munoz alongside Koumas, while Gakpo and Isak are absent. Jacquet’s inclusion gives Liverpool another available starter in defence, and Szoboszlai’s absence removes a player who has contributed a league goal this season.

The table adds weight to the fixture. Liverpool are seventh with nine points from five games; Manchester City arrive top with 15 from five. Liverpool face a six-point gap to the leaders, making the meeting a significant early-season test for the home side.

The teams meet at Anfield on Sunday, 11 October, with kick-off at 16:30 BST. For Koumas, the occasion brings a first Premier League start; for Liverpool, it begins with a reshaped attack against the league leaders.