Reigning Premier League champions Manchester Metropolis will host league leaders Liverpool on Sunday looking for victory that might resurrect their season, however maybe with out their most necessary participant.
Striker Erling Haaland has 19 league objectives this season, however he will not be wholesome in time to attempt to add to his complete.
Haaland, who sustained a knee harm late in Metropolis’s 4-0 win over Newcastle United final weekend, already missed the staff’s 3-1 loss at Actual Madrid on Wednesday within the second leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout spherical sequence. Nevertheless, supervisor Pep Guardiola did not utterly rule out the Norwegian marksman.
“Do not know but. (Saturday) we’ll know,” Guardiola stated Friday. “It is higher to have Erling on the pitch. … All people is accountable for the nice issues and dangerous issues for the staff, however clearly with Erling we’re higher.”
Regardless, Manchester Metropolis (13-7-5, 44 factors) did add some key reinforcements through the winter window, most notably Omar Marmoush, who scored a hat trick within the first half of the Newcastle win.
And whereas a miracle surge to catch Liverpool (18-1-7, 61 factors) is unlikely, it would not be utterly not possible with a win that would chop the hole to 14 factors and stored Metropolis with a match in hand.
Having acquired a bye to the UCL spherical of 16, Liverpool spent its midweek grappling to a 2-2 draw in opposition to Aston Villa in a fixture rescheduled from March 15 due to the Reds’ run to the Carabao Cup ultimate.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring along with his twenty fourth aim to succeed in his highest league complete since he registered 32 throughout his 2017-18 debut Premier League marketing campaign. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 61st-minute tally leveled affairs for good.
Nevertheless, a rearguard that started the season in such stalwart style below first-year boss Arne Slot has now conceded 5 objectives within the final three matches whereas settling for under 5 factors in that span.
Slot can also be effectively conscious that this model of Metropolis is a a lot improved one from that which the Reds defeated 2-0 in early December.
“I can see them coming again already for those who take a look at the consequence in opposition to Newcastle,” Slot stated. “So what you anticipate is what all people expects for those who go to the Etihad (Stadium) for those who play in opposition to Metropolis. You must undergo as effectively and work actually onerous to maintain them away out of your aim as a result of they’re so, so good in ball possession. However they face a robust staff as effectively that hasn’t misplaced for 22 video games (within the Premier League).”
–Area Degree Media
