The top two teams in the Premier League will face off this weekend at the Etihad Stadium: Manchester City and Liverpool.
As we kick off the run-up to Christmas, top-tier football resumes on Saturday. TalkSPORT will be present to offer live coverage of the greatest blockbuster.
After the international break, Pep Guardiola is now concerned about a few injuries for City, which were involved in a top-flight classic against Chelsea last time out.
However, after a week off, Jurgen Klopp anticipates certain key players returning to action as his team looks to build on their excellent season-long performance.
City of Manchester
Prior to this important match, Manchester City’s primary injury concern is Erling Haaland.
Due to an injury, Ederson had to withdraw from the Brazil team; as a result, the goalie is also questionable.
Sergio Gomez, Mateo Kovacic, and Nathan Ake all expected to stay out, as well as John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne.
Ederson is still anticipated to start in goal despite his knock.
Right-back Kyle Walker will start, with Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, and Ruben Dias rounding up Man City’s defense.
This Saturday, Akanji, who has scored in three straight Premier League games, will look to add to his already impressive total.
Rodri will remain Guardiola’s team’s essential midfield pillar, lining up behind Bernardo Silva, who has enjoyed an outstanding debut season.
Although he has been a regular this season in a more significant role, Julian Alvarez might not be prepared to start this one.
Argentina’s game is scheduled for Wednesday at midnight, so he won’t likely return to England until later in the week, leaving him with little time to prepare for the early kickoff.
With Kovacic sidelined and Matheus Nunes scheduled for evaluation, Phil Foden might assume a prominent role.
This would enable Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku to share the field simultaneously after both players have been vying for a spot.
In addition, Haaland’s injury is probably not bad enough to prevent him from playing, therefore he should be able to start.
Liverpool
Liverpool anticipates the return of a few key players.
Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch, and Ibrahima Konate may all make a comeback from their injuries sustained during the victory over Brentford.
Alexis Mac Allister is also returning from suspension, but it’s possible he won’t be added back to the squad right away.
The Argentinian will only have been a member of his national team for a few days prior to the match, and the last time he participated in a kickoff at 12:30 pm under these conditions, he was replaced at halftime.
Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic will remain out of the picture for Klopp as Andy Robertson recovers from shoulder surgery.
Naturally, Alisson will start in goal.
Joel Matip will join with Virgil van Dijk at right back, with Alexander-Arnold looking to invert occasionally and Konate not racing back.
Konstantinos Tsimikas, who finished with two assists the previous game, will start at left back, while Joe Gomez is still a possibility if Klopp decides to play more defensively.
Wataru Endo will sit in defensive midfield behind Dominik Szoboszlai due to Mac Allister’s potential weariness.
Szoboszlai may start with three players, but if Gravenberch is cleared to play before the game, he might start ahead of Jones and Cody Gakpo.
Diogo Jota is anticipated to start ahead of Luis Diaz following his performance in the previous game, and Mohamed Salah will start on the right side.
With Uruguay playing on Tuesday night, Darwin Nunez should be able to maintain his starting position up front with plenty time to recuperate.
