Liverpool return to Premier League action this weekend, with Manchester City’s visit to Anfield on October 11 expected to produce a red-hot atmosphere.
City will be playing their first fixture since being found guilty of 114 charges relating to Premier League financial rules, with the club accused of artificially inflating their commercial income by £830m between 2009 and 2018.
Liverpool will be aiming for a fourth successive Premier League clean sheet when Erling Haaland and company arrive at Anfield.
Andoni Iraola is yet to taste defeat since taking charge of the Reds, winning four and drawing three of his first seven matches. However, he has been handed several selection concerns following the September/October international break.
Alexander Isak left the Sweden squad with a thigh problem after scoring against Romania. While the injury is not believed to be serious, Liverpool are still awaiting further assessments.
Cody Gakpo has also returned to Kirkby early after suffering an ankle injury while on international duty with the Netherlands.
Iraola will be desperate for one or both forwards to recover in time to face City, with Hugo Ekitike still sidelined despite closing in on a return to full training.
Conor Bradley will also miss the match, while Giovanni Leoni is edging closer to a return. Federico Chiesa’s availability remains unclear after he has yet to feature this season.
For Manchester City, Phil Foden will definitely miss the clash after being sent off for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes during the 1-0 derby victory over Manchester United.
There are also doubts over Antoine Semenyo and Nico O’Reilly after they withdrew from the Ghana and England squads respectively.
There is further concern surrounding Erling Haaland, who was substituted after just over an hour during Norway’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal.
The striker limped off in what could be a major concern for City ahead of their trip to Anfield. Norway coach Stale Solbakken has provided an injury update on Haaland, revealing he had a “heart-to-heart conversation” with the Man City striker about his heavy workload before their Nations League defeat to Portugal.
“He (Haaland) was tired against Wales. That’s why we had a heart-to-heart conversation yesterday. We went through the possible options,” Solbakken said in quotes carried in the Norwegian media.
“He might have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal. That was a discussion. But he has very bad vibes and feelings about it. … I am very pleased that he managed to pull out 60 good minutes.”
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