Manchester City will face one of the toughest challenges in the Premier League as they make the trip to Anfield on Sunday to take on Liverpool. In an intimidating atmosphere, it will take a lot from the reigning league champions to get a positive result.
After a crucial win over Chelsea at the weekend, City flattered to deceive against the mighty Paris Saint-Germain. Manager Pep Guardiola would be right in feeling a little anxious as he faces off against one of his major rivals, Jurgen Klopp. But is there any player that could be missing this game?
Liverpool vs Manchester City FYIs
Kick-off time: 4:30 PM GMT, 3 October Sunday
Team News:ย ย Manchester Cityย ย ย Liverpoolย
Starting XI Predictions:ย Manchester Cityย ย Liverpool
Form Guide (All Competitions): Liverpool (WWWDW) Manchester City (WDWWL)
Ilkay Gundogan and left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko are going to miss this important clash. The duo are expected to return at the end of the upcoming international break. Missing the German will be a big blow for Guardiola.
Upfront, the boss has to make a decision on who will start as the false nine and conventional wisdom would point towards former Liverpool man Raheem Sterling. But given how well Phil Foden played at Chelsea, he might be the one getting the nod.
City will know what they will be up against when they take to the field on Sunday. They have shown in the past that they can deal with the opposition press.
What the visitors need to focus on doing, is moving the ball quickly to bypass the pressure.
With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish in their ranks, the Manchester side have the talent to take the game to Liverpool defenders. If that were to happen, it increases Guardiolaโs chances of having the last laugh.
Manchester City need to show that the defeat to PSG was just a one-off and that they can hang with the big boys. Beating Liverpool would show that they are serious about defending their league title.
This is one of those games that has the potential to alter the course of the season and should be interesting to watch.
