Liverpool vs Man City: How Szoboszlai and Cherki compare before Premier League clash?

Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, one of the Premier League’s biggest games of the season, with both sides looking to Dominik Szoboszlai and Rayan Cherki to dictate the game.

Szoboszlai has become an important player for Liverpool since moving from RB Leipzig, serving as one of Andoni Iraola’s most trusted midfield options. 

Cherki, meanwhile, arrived at Manchester City last season and has since produced some eye-catching moments under Enzo Maresca.

With the spotlight on both midfield players, they are capable of influencing and changing the game with their technical quality. 

Szoboszlai’s range of passing and shot accuracy give Liverpool control, while Cherki’s trickery and eye for goal offer City a different kind of threat for the visitors.

Here, FootballWhispers compares Szoboszlai and Cherki statistically, using Premier League data from the 2026/27 season so far.

Szoboszlai and Cherki: How do they compare?

As the clash approaches on Sunday, much attention will have to be on the midfield maestros of the two teams who will be expected to create chances for their attacking players.

Szoboszlai has played the lion’s share of minutes between the two, with 441 to Cherki’s 306 across five Premier League matches.

This has favoured the Liverpool man in several categories, but where Man City star does come out ahead, he does so convincingly.

The clearest gap is in the end product, where Cherki has three goals and two assists to his name this season, compared with a single goal and no assists for Szoboszlai. 

That’s five goal involvements to one, despite playing 135 fewer minutes, a notable return for a player who has started four EPL games.

The French international is also the more effective dribbler, with five successful take-ons to the Hungarian star's two, and also a tidier passer. 

His 91.24% pass completion comfortably beats Szoboszlai’s 86.64%, suggesting a player more inclined to keep things simple and retain possession than force the issue.

Szoboszlai’s game leans in a different direction, as he has attempted more shots (13 to 9) and been involved in more physical battles, winning 14 of his 42 duels compared with Cherki’s 9 from 27. 

That’s a reflection of the box-to-box, high-energy role he plays for Iraola, covering more ground and getting through more defensive work than the City midfielder is typically asked to do at City.

Interestingly, Szoboszlai and Cherki are level when it comes to chance creation, with three big chances created apiece, and neither has managed a single through ball this season. 

Taken together, the numbers paint a picture of two important midfielders, who are given different instructions to perfect their teams' tactics.

Szoboszlai is the more involved, more combative presence who covers blocks of the pitch and gets shots away.

On the other hand, Cherki is the sharper end product and more comfortable retaining the ball in tight areas. 

Whichever of Szoboszlai and Cherki makes the bigger impact at Anfield on Sunday, the stats suggest it could come from very different parts of their game.