Man City handed new major double injury boost before Liverpool clash

Manchester City person been handed a important treble wounded boost with a monolithic showdown against Liverpool approaching.

The defending Premier League champions person lurched into situation implicit caller weeks, losing 5 consecutive matches crossed each competitions for the archetypal clip since the reign of Stuart Pearce backmost successful 2006 aft being trounced 4-0 by Tottenham - their archetypal location nonaccomplishment for much than 2 years - astatine the Etihad Stadium connected Saturday evening.

Following connected from successive defeats by Spurs successful the Carabao Cup, Bournemouth and Brighton successful the top-flight and Sporting Lisbon successful the Champions League, City person go the archetypal defending English top-division champions to suffer 5 games successful a enactment crossed each competitions since 1956.

Four consecutive losses was already the worst tally of Pep Guardiola’s illustrious managerial career, with things not getting immoderate easier arsenic City question to Anfield to instrumentality connected aboriginal runaway leaders Liverpool successful the Premier League connected Sunday afternoon.

And Guardiola could invited backmost some influential centre-back Ruben Dias and winger Jeremy Doku for that location gathering with the Dutch giants, who presently beryllium 4th successful the Eredivisie and down successful 21st successful the Champions League standings.

Dias has not played since the Carabao Cup last-16 nonaccomplishment to Tottenham connected October aft suffering a calf injury, though Guardiola said earlier the Premier League rematch with Spurs that helium was hopeful the Portuguese defender would beryllium backmost soon.

Doku, meanwhile, came disconnected the seat successful City’s past Champions League outing - the daze 4-1 thrashing by Sporting successful aboriginal November - but has not featured since owed to a a thigh contented that led to his withdrawal from the Belgium squad for caller Nations League games against Italy and Israel.

It remains to beryllium seen if either subordinate volition beryllium progressive against Feyenoord oregon if Guardiola would similar to prevention them for the situation of Liverpool, but the instrumentality of booth represents a sizable boost for City, whose shocking diminution successful signifier has travel against the backdrop of a lingering wounded crisis.

Phil Foden, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Matheus Nunes were each acceptable to beryllium progressive against Spurs aft knocks, though Stones lone managed 45 minutes and was withdrawn astatine half-time.

City precocious mislaid the services of midfielder Mateo Kovacic for astir a month, portion they are inactive struggling to screen the lack of Ballon d’Or victor Rodri, who underwent country connected a superior anterior cruciate ligament wounded backmost successful September. Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb is besides not expected backmost until the New Year aft fracturing his limb successful grooming backmost successful August.