Manchester City have been handed a boost ahead of this weekend’s early kick-off, with the latest Liverpool injury update coming out of Melwood suggesting Jurgen Klopp could be without a host of notable starters.
The main Premier League title contenders of the past few seasons meet this Saturday in unfamiliar circumstances, as Liverpool find themselves all the way down in sixth, and in desperate need of victory if they are to secure Champions League football next term.
After a slight resurgence in form, which included a five-game unbeaten streak and a staggering 7-0 thumping of Manchester United, the Reds found themselves stuttering once more after falling to an unlikely defeat to 20th-placed Bournemouth last time out.
They welcome Manchester City this Saturday in the hope of laying down a marker for the final two months of the season, and finding a way past the side who they have consistently locked horns with for the title in recent years. The reverse fixture in December saw a typically high-scoring head-to-head in Manchester, with City prevailing 3-2, courtesy of a Nathan Ake winner.
Although Pep Guardiola has injury concerns of his own, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden among those doubtful, Jurgen Klopp will likely have to make do without four key names.
🚨Number of days missed due to injuries to players this season:
1st. Liverpool – 1656
2nd. Newcastle – 1620
3rd. Chelsea – 154118th. Arsenal 750
19th. Fulham – 733
20th. Man City 505Liverpool have 3x as much as City 😳
Newcastle show you that without them injuries they… pic.twitter.com/vHNNnnS0cg
— José enrique (@Jesanchez3) March 22, 2023
Both Darwin Nunez and Coady Gakpo withdrew from international action for Uruguay and the Netherlands respectively. The former sustained a nasty cut to ankle against Real Madrid last month, while Gakpo was sent home from national duty due to illness. Although neither cases are deemed to be serious, it remains to be seen whether they will be declared match-fit.
Elsewhere, hopes of a return for long-term absentee Luis Diaz are edging closer, with the Colombian having been sidelined since October. Full training is now a real possibility, but a fixture of this magnitude will almost certainly come too soon.
Spanish technician Thiago is also a doubt, with his hip recovery timeline still unclear.
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