One of the most critical games of the Premier League season is just hours away, and the pressure is on for both Manchester City and Liverpool. With Arsenal currently leading the table and Newcastle and Tottenham hot on their heels, Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from their defeat at Bournemouth last time out.
Meanwhile, Man City can move to within five points of the gunners with a win tonight. However, they will be without star striker Erling Haaland, who has been ruled out due to a groin injury sustained in their FA Cup quarterfinal win over Burnley before the international break. City manager Pep Guardiola said Haaland would be assessed after Friday afternoon’s training session, but unfortunately he didn’t make the squad.
Without Haaland, City’s strike force for this match will come in the form of Argentine player Alvarez, who has five goals in six Premier League starts so far this season. Phil Foden is also unavailable due to appendix surgery last week.
Ederson will be protected by the back four of Stones, Akanji, Dias, and Ake in what looks like a very formidable defense. Six changes were made to the team that played in their last outing against Burnley two weeks ago. John Stones will start on the right and wander into midfield to support Rodrigo while Ake on the other side flies forward in support of winger Jack Grealish.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have Joe Gomez fully back and Rhys Williams with just a minor issue. Darwin Nunez also recovers from his ankle injury and starts on the bench.
Their XI will consist of Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott, Jota, Salah and Gakpo. They’ll be hoping that Mohamed Salah maintains his top form in this crucial match – the Egyptian has scored in all three of Liverpool’s games against Manchester City this season.
Liverpool have won more Premier League games against reigning champions than any other side, but Manchester City have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool. It promises to be a tantalizing encounter.
Apart from Haaland, there are other notable updates across both teams. Diaz for one has been a positive influence on City ever since he arrived last summer. He has been learning English and may be ready for the Leeds game soon.
Darwin was out of training for a few days due to a cut from Real Madrid game but is now back and in contention. Naby Keita is out with muscle injury from national team duty and may come back soon but there is doubt over how long it will take.
Thiago, however, is recovering well and may join team training next week. The rest of the Liverpool team is available, albeit with some cases of stomach bugs. They’re all fine now and should not pose any concerns during the match.
It’s difficult to know how tonight’s match will pan out without Haaland in City’s squad. However, both sides are packed full of world-class talent and will undoubtedly bring their A-game as they fight for crucial points and bragging rights in this top-of-the-table clash.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
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