Manchester City have what could considered to be a crucial match in their latest Premier League title race ahead of them.
After blowing a 3-0 lead within a 14-minute window to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, City are on the road again back in Premier League action.
Specifically, Pep Guardiola’s side will be taking on Liverpool at Anfield for their first Premier League meeting of the campaign.
In midweek, Ilkay Gundogan said City must beat Liverpool for the sake of their hopes of winning another league title.
Looking ahead to this match, let’s take a deeper dive into the potential things to look out for surrounding City’s latest Anfield trip.
Will Kevin De Bruyne start?
Having gone through a difficult recovery from an injury he suffered back in September, Kevin De Bruyne has made second-half substitute appearances in City’s four previous matches.
With Anfield being such a tough place to go for any team, this match could be the one where Guardiola finally puts De Bruyne back in the starting XI in the hope he can get back into the swing of delivering goals and assists for City.
Josko Gvardiol or Nathan Ake?
Another team selection quandary for Guardiola to ponder is whether to stick with Josko Gvardiol at left-back or give Nathan Ake the chance to try and subdue Mohamed Salah.
In previous matches, Gvardiol has made numerous mistakes that have led to City conceding goals.
After doing that on two occasions in City’s 3-3 draw with Feyenoord, Tim Sherwood said Gvardiol is “putting his fingerprints” over the number of goals the Blues have been letting in recently.
With that in mind, this is certainly an area that Guardiola will have to think about carefully.
Ruben Dias to make a return?
Similarly to De Bruyne, Ruben Dias has been out injured in recent weeks, although he was fit enough to be in the matchday squad for Tuesday’s draw with Feyenoord.
Following that, Dias declared himself fully fit ahead of Sunday’s big game at Anfield. Therefore, given how City have conceded 17 goals in their past six games, having the centre-back in the team again could give the Blues a much-needed boost to their confidence and their chances of walking away with a positive result.
Kyle Walker’s big task
After Kyle Walker got outpaced by Adama Traore in City’s 3-2 win over Fulham, the same thing happened again in the Blues’ 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, as Timo Werner beat the right-back in a footrace to set up Brennan Johnson’s goal.
With Walker likely to be up against Luis Diaz at Anfield, this will undoubtedly be another tough test for the 34-year-old. The sort of test that could have an impact on his role in the team going forward.
Will Guardiola trust Matheus Nunes in a big game?
After being named as an unused substitute in last weekend’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Matheus Nunes completed the full 90 minutes against Feyenoord – during which he grabbed an assist.
Nunes was given a run in the team as a left-winger in the absence of Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku. Now though, the Liverpool game could give the Portuguese international to show what he can do in a big match in his more natural midfield role.
