Liverpool return to Premier League action this weekend after the three-week international break, welcoming Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City to Anfield in one of the biggest fixtures of the season.
Despite the break from domestic football, the international fixtures have hardly aided Andoni Iraola, with star performers Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo having to leave camp early and Jeremy Jacquet being absent from France’s final game with a knock.
The availability of this trio could be vital if Liverpool are going to beat the visitors this weekend, with Isak and Gakpo accounting for 71% of the Reds’ goals in the league this season.
Furthermore, Jacquet has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season, making the transition from Rennes seamlessly and slotting in right beside Virgil van Dijk.
Meanwhile, Manchester City arrive on Merseyside with a perfect record from their opening five matches, sitting top of the table, three points ahead of the nearest chaser, Arsenal.
However, this fixture has another layer: it’s the first time the visitors have taken the field since they were found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League rules, setting the stage for what is already an intense rivalry.
Liverpool’s attacking concerns
Liverpool’s attack has shown plenty of promise this season, particularly the performances of Gakpo and Isak; however, with their fitness in question, the rest of the forwards are a slight cause for concern and suggest the Reds could struggle to consistently hurt the Cityzens.
Víctor Muñoz has shown flashes of what he can offer this Liverpool offence through his pace and directness since he arrived from Osasuna this summer, particularly his performances against Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest, where he capped the latter off with an equalising goal to rescue a point.
On the other flank, Bradley Barcola will be expected to step up and shoulder the bulk of the responsibility for the forward line, with a huge transfer fee and superstar status being anchored to the 24-year-old since he made the switch from Paris Saint-Germain.
Florian Wirtz is another potential area of concern for the hosts, with fans divided on the player and whether he does enough to warrant being undroppable by Andoni Iraola; however, promising performances for Germany throughout the international break should see him return to the Spaniard’s starting 11.
With Iraola suggesting it’s a race against time for both Isak and Gakpo to return for the City game, the availability of either or both would provide a massive boost for the hosts, especially given how impactful they have been so far this season.
Gakpo’s potential absence would be particularly interesting, with the Dutchman being of heavy interest to the visitors this summer, with them even having a bid turned down for the 27-year-old.
Manchester City could be Liverpool’s toughest test yet
Manchester City have begun life under Maresca perfectly, both domestically and in Europe, winning every game bar the Community Shield under their new head coach, establishing themselves as the team to beat so far.
City have been incredibly potent in front of goal, scoring 13 times across their opening five league games, with only Brighton scoring more than Sunday’s visitors.
Manchester City’s attack does not have one standout performer this season; Erling Haaland leads the league in goals scored with five, one ahead of Isak, but he is also surrounded by Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, who have each got five goal involvements as well.
Maresca’s men are also a solid defensive unit, conceding just five goals in their opening fixtures; however, that tally is less impressive than Liverpool’s four, proving a tough test for Haaland and his fellow attackers to exploit.
This dynamic attack, against Liverpool’s rigid defence, could prove to be quite the spectacle, and the home side will hope Jeremy Jacquet will be available if they are going to withstand the Sky Blues’ firepower this weekend.
Anfield could be the 12th man
This fixture has often fallen in favour of the home side, with Liverpool enjoying plenty of success against the visitors in L4; however, Manchester City did defeat Liverpool 2-1 here last season for the first time in five years.
This fixture also carries the unusual backdrop of Manchester City’s cheating scandal, which will add extra fuel to the Anfield crowd and could spur the Reds on to hand Maresca his first domestic loss of his early career in Manchester.
With City’s form and Liverpool’s rocky start and injury concerns, Iraola and his team will need to leverage every advantage they can in order to take home another win this weekend.
