Liverpool host runaway leaders Manchester City in a titanic Premier League clash on Sunday at Anfield and the lineups have been revealed by their respective managers.
Jurgen Klopp has been forced to exclude £75 million-signing Virgl van Dijk from his lineup as the Duthcman has a tight hamstring but the German tactician’s decision to start Loris Karius in place of Simon Mignolet has perplexed many.
Advertisement
Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson flank the central defensive pairing of Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren while Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain start in a three-man midfield.
Liverpool’s 4-3-3 is completed by the trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
Pep Guardiola has opted to restore Sergio Aguero to the tip of their 4-3-3 system as the Argentine is flanked by Leroy Sane and former Liverpool man Raheem Sterling.
Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho feature in the middle of the park while Fabian Delph, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones and Kyle Walker complete a back-four ahead of custodian Ederson.
Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City side, the only team yet to taste defeat this season in the Premier League, are heavy favourites to clinch the tie and will look to set right their record at a venue at which they have not won in recent memory.
The stakes are arguably higher for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool as the club’s ambitions have been doubted in the aftermath of the €160 million sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
The last time the sides met, City hammered the Reds 5-0 and the Merseysiders are still smarting from that defeat and will definitely be seeking revenge.
Considering their counter-attacking style of play, Liverpool are perhaps the Premier League’s best hopes of slowing the Sky Blues’ inexorable march to the title and the tie at Anfield promises to be a humdinger, regardless of the result.
Liverpool: Karius, Gomez, Lovren, Matip, Robertson, Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Mane and Firmino.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph, Fernandinho (c), De Bruyne, Gundogan, Sane, Sterling and Aguero.
Match starts at 1600 GMT/21.30 IST
