Yes, they are playing each other later…
Manchester City come into Thursday night’s clash against Liverpool with a seriously weakened squad, based on the latest reports.
Two of the favourites for this season’s Carabao Cup will be facing off in the Round of 16 at the Etihad Stadium.
And while City are the bookmakers’ favourites for the game, perhaps they shouldn’t be, as they will not be at their strongest.
Man City will be without some of their best players, including Ederson and Ruben Dias, while other important members of the squad like Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez, Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips, are not guaranteed to play.
The likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are fit and ready to go, as they faced a group stage exit from the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has been training and resting, and will surely be raring to go by the time the whistle blows on Thursday night.
Man City vs Liverpool
However, Pep Guardiola has said hinted at the fact that some of the players who were at the World Cup may not be up to speed just yet.
He said: “Sergio Gomez, Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer they are missing a little bit.
“They competed every day and we had holidays. That’s why it was so important to maintain the rhythm. We had one month off.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool look in a fairly strong position coming into the game, though Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota are still sidelines as they attempt to return to fitness.
Late, great drama 🤩
A year ago today, after an injury-time equaliser, we beat Leicester City on penalties to send us through to the Carabao Cup semi-finals ⚽ pic.twitter.com/7ziwiAKGeU
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 22, 2022
Caoimhin Kelleher could well start in goal for Liverpool against City, while Darwin Nunez is also very likely to play after his Uruguay side were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages.
Kick off from the Etihad is at 8pm.
Read More About: Liverpool, Manchester City
