As Liverpool look to turn their thus far disastrous 2022-23 season around, the task begins on Thursday with a League Cup clash at bitter rivals Manchester City. While the opposing boss whines about not having enough players available for the match (don’t buy that nonsense, Pep Guardiola is just engaging in gamesmanship), Jurgen Klopp has plenty of options to chose from.
The team, overall, is getting healthier and more players are returning to the fold by the day. Darwin Nunez came back for the Dubai Super Cup, with Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson and Fabinho re-joining the group for training this week.
Liverpool at Manchester City FYIs
Competition: League Cup Round of 16
Kickoff: Thurs Dec 22, 8pm GMT, The Etihad, Manchester, UK
Team News: Liverpool Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Liverpool Manchester City
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Liverpool Team News
The main missing men for this round of 16 clash that sounds like a final is the long-term injured trio Luis Diaz (knee), Diogo Jota (thigh) and loanee Arthur Melo (thigh). That said, center back supreme and flying dutchman Virgil van Dijk won’t probably feature on Thursday either. Look for Klopp to go with a pretty strong side, but not a first team of all regulars. Look for Joe Gomez and/or Joel Matip to get first team assignments at centre-back.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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