This afternoon sees Liverpool return to Premier League action with a visit from Manchester City, with the Reds going into the game off of the back of a poor performance and 1-0 defeat to Brighton.
Manchester City have a great run of results behind them and are unbeaten in their last 13 games in the league, scoring an incredible 29 goals and conceding just twice during that run – with 11 clean sheets in those all together showing a formidable change in defence compared to last season.
The real catalyst behind that has no doubt been the addition of Ruben Dias who they bought from Benfica in the summer, with the Portuguese defender adapting to life in England quickly and helping to revive the career of John Stones at City with the pair forming a strong partnership in central defence.
Liverpool were lucky to see the returns of Alisson, Fabinho, and Sadio Mané back to training yesterday which means the three could well be in contention to start the game today – and with new boy Ozan Kabak receiving international clearance he can also be in contention to feature against Pep Guardiola’s side.
So, with that being said, how might the Reds lineup this afternoon?
Formation: 4-3-3
I think we will see the return of Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson to the starting XI – he was ill for the game against Brighton which saw youngster Caoimhín Kelleher start between the stick and he did well considering the result. However, there is no denying Alisson’s importance to this side and hopefully, he will be alright to start.
Our defence will also see the return of Fabinho who picked up a knock prior to the Tottenham game and has been sidelined since. Luckily for the Reds, he was back in training yesterday as mentioned and will no doubt retain his place at the back given how impressive he has been at centre-back for the Reds this season due to the injuries we have sustained. He will be accompanied by Jordan Henderson as well as Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the full-back positions. Despite both Ben Davies and Kabak both in contention to feature I don’t think either of them will be ready to start the game.
Can Liverpool beat Manchester City?
Yes
No
I think the midfield three will retain both Gini Wijnaldum and Thiago as they sort of pick themselves these days given our other options in the middle of the park but I think the main new change/addition will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to complete the three. The Englishman has been short of chances recently but has the ability as a goalscoring midfielder and he also has a good record against Manchester City. There is also the option for Curtis Jones to play on that left side but I think AOC would be the better option due to his experience.
To complete the XI I think we will see the return of our famed front three of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah. Senegalese winger Mané was missing against both West Ham and Brighton and I think that against the Seagulls, we really missed his ability going forward and his tenacity and grit in the attack. Mané is relentless at times and he goes full throttle for the whole 90 minutes which I think Liverpool missed massively in their last game.
What do you think Liverpool fans, how would you lineup against Man City? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below…