The Reds were able to secure all three points away from home in the reverse fixture back in September, as goals from Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez gave Jürgen Klopp a 3-1 win following an early opener from Florian Flecker. Nobody would be complaining about a repeat performance.
Heading into this fixture, Liverpool will be without key duo Diogo Jota and Alisson Becker, after both players picked up injuries during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City last weekend. Caoimhín Kelleher was expected to start anyway, but Klopp might have a little bit more of a dilemma in his attack, where resting the likes of Salah and Núñez potentially just became a little bit harder. Cody Gakpo was put forward for Liverpool media duties, suggesting Núñez at least might be handed the night off. An opponent has recently explained a flashpoint with the Uruguayan in a previous group stage fixture.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola might just have inadvertently shown a Trent Alexander-Arnold truth. Here are the latest Liverpool.com stories that you can’t afford to miss ahead of the European clash.
Darwin Núñez exchange explained While most people associated with the club were happy come the full-time whistle, there was one man who wasn’t. That man was Uruguayan forward Núñez. The attacker was seen in a heated verbal battle with the Man City coaching staff, specifically Pep Guardiola, and had to be restrained by Klopp.
The striker was also involved in a post-match confrontation following the disappointing 3-2 loss to Toulouse, where he snubbed a handshake with Frank Magri after the full-time whistle. The Cameroon forward has recently given his side of the story, explaining that the pair had already clashed throughout the course of the game. Read the full story by clicking here.
Pep Guardiola plan showed Trent Alexander-Arnold truth He is a master of analyzing upcoming opponents and identifying their weaknesses ahead of the games. His latest tactic was to target Trent Alexander-Arnold in a curious manner.
When Manchester City was in possession of the ball, every pass was directed to the right-back’s side of the pitch. That’s where Belgian winger Jérémy Doku was often waiting in space.
The Man City boss aimed to shine a light on the defensive limitations of Alexander-Arnold. But he ultimately held his own in the battle, as outlined by former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville after the game. Read the full story from Josh Williams here.
Liverpool will host Austrian Bundesliga side LASK at Anfield later today, as it looks to get back to winning ways in the Europa League following a defeat to Toulouse prior to the international break. There is ample motivation, with a win enough to secure qualification from the group.
As previously mentioned, Liverpool secured a 1-1 draw with last season’s treble winners on Saturday. That was thanks in part to a well-placed equalizer by vice-captain Alexander-Arnold in the 80th minute.
Manchester City is one of the most successful and dominant teams across the modern football era. With five Premier League titles in the last six seasons, Guardiola’s successes in English football cannot be denied.
