Man City v Liverpool team news and predicted line-ups: Haaland available but Argentines miss out

Manchester City and Liverpool meet at the Etihad Stadium this weekend in the Premier League’s top two clash.

Premier League football returns on Saturday as the countdown to Christmas begins, and talkSPORT will be there to provide live coverage of the biggest blockbuster.

City took part in a top-flight classic against Chelsea last time out but now Pep Guardiola has a couple of injury worries following the international break.

Jurgen Klopp however is expecting some key faces back in action following a week off, as his side aim to continue their superb form this season.

Manchester City

Erling Haaland is the main injury worry for Manchester City ahead of this huge clash.

The star striker picked up a knock while on international duty that forced him to miss Norway’s game against Scotland on Sunday.

Ederson pulled out of the Brazil squad with an issue, meaning the goalkeeper is also a doubt.

John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne are both out while Mateo Kovacic, Nathan Ake and Sergio Gomez are likely to remain on the sidelines.

Despite his knock, Ederson is still expected to start in goal.

Kyle Walker will play at right-back while Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji complete the Man City defence.

Akanji has scored in three consecutive Premier League games and will be looking to add to his tally this weekend.

Rodri will continue to be an important anchor for Guardiola’s side in midfield, lining up behind Bernardo Silva, who has had a fantastic season so far.

Julian Alvarez has been a regular in a more prominent role this season, but he may not be ready to begin this one.

Argentina play at midnight on Wednesday, so he won’t be back in England until late in the week, leaving him with little time before the early kick-off.

With Kovacic out and Matheus Nunes set to be evaluated, Phil Foden could take over in the center.

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This would allow Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku to be on the field at the same time, after both players had been competing for a spot.

And, despite his injury, Haaland is expected to start up front, as the problem is not considered serious enough to keep him out.

Liverpool
Liverpool expects some key players to return to action.

After missing the win over Brentford, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, and Curtis Jones could all return from injury.

Alexis Mac Allister returns from suspension as well, but he may not be thrown right back into the team…

The Argentine will have only recently played for his country, and the last time he played a 12:30pm kick-off in these conditions, he was substituted at halftime.

Klopp will still be without Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic, while Andy Robertson recovers from shoulder surgery.

Of course, Alisson will start in goal.

Alexander-Arnold will start at right back and invert at times, while Virgil van Dijk will be partnered by Joel Matip, with Konate not rushing back.

Last time out, Konstantinos Tsimikas had two assists and will start at left back, though Joe Gomez is still an option if Klopp wants to play more defensively.

Wataru Endo will sit in defensive midfield behind Dominik Szoboszlai due to Mac Allister’s possible fatigue.

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Three players could start alongside Szoboszlai, but if Gravenberch is passed fit before the game, he may get the nod over Jones and Cody Gakpo.

Mohamed Salah will start on the right, while Diogo Jota is expected to replace Luis Diaz, as he did in the previous game.

Darwin Nunez should keep his place up front, with Uruguay playing on Tuesday evening, allowing just enough time to recover.

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