In the midst of the worst run of his managerial career, Pep Guardiola takes his Manchester City side to the stadium he fears the most on Sunday… Anfield.
City have won just one of their visits to the Merseyside venue since Guardiola took charge in 2016 – the Blues have even managed more victories away to Spurs!
And for the first time in close to a decade, Guardiola’s men will begin the afternoon as the bookies’ outsiders.
City are staring down the barrel of a seventh consecutive winless outing, but will they stop the rot against table-topping Liverpool?It’s a sign things aren’t going to plan when there’s a genuine case for dropping your first-choice goalkeeper.
That’s the question hanging over Guardiola, given Ederson failed to cover himself in any sort of glory for all three of Feyenoord’s goals in mid-week.
That being said, the Brazilian was City’s best player against Spurs a week ago (although how much that counts is up for debate) and should retain his position ahead of Stefan Ortega… only just.
Defence: Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake
Kyle Walker looked every bit of his 34 years when Timo Werner was blitzing past him late on against Spurs, but with injuries having savaged Guardiola’s squad, it could be a case of needs must on Sunday.
Finding two fit centre-backs has proved difficult for the Catalan coach, and while Ruben Dias has been out of action for over a month, he did return to the bench for Tuesday’s Champions League fixture.
If he can muster up a match without doing any more damage, he’s a must in the middle for a City defence that’s conceded 17 goals in their last six matches.Manuel Akanji appears the most likely partner for Dias, while Guardiola could opt to use Nathan Ake at left-back following a string of goal-costing errors from Josko Gvardiol.Midfield: Gundogan, Bernardo, De Bruyne
The nucleus of City’s problems right now, both Rodri and Mateo Kovacic are out of action, meaning Guardiola is relying on an out-of-position Ilkay Gundogan to anchor the midfield.Bernardo Silva hasn’t looked close to his usual best in recent weeks, but the Portuguese midfielder is no stranger to a big game and has impressed at Anfield in the past.
Kevin de Bruyne is another of City’s walking wounded, but the Belgian has come off the bench twice in the last week and Sunday appears the perfect time for him to make his first start since September.
Attack: Foden, Haaland, Grealish
Given the champions’ defensive frailties, if they’re to get anything from the game, they’ll likely have to score a few against Liverpool this weekend.Erling Haaland returned to scoring form in midweek and is a lock to start up front, if fit.
Servicing the 24-year-old will be the job of Phil Foden, who has endured a struggling start to the campaign, and Jack Grealish, who registered his first 90 minutes in a City shirt for the first time since mid-September on Tuesday.
Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Gundogan, Bernardo, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Grealish
