Sergio Gomez insists Manchester City will be ready for Liverpool's visit to Etihad later this week despite manager Pep Guardiola admitting he doesn't know what players he will have at his disposal.
The Citizens were the Premier League's best-represented club at the World Cup finals in Qatar they had 16 players involved across the 32 teams. One made it all the way to the final with Julian Alvarez playing an instrumental role in Argentina's first World Cup win in 36 years during a thrilling triumph over France at the Lusial Stadium last night.
But Guardiola, who based his side in the United Arab Emirates during the six-week break from domestic football, is unsure who he will be able to call on come Thursday as he admitted he will have to "wait and see" who returns in the days leading up to Jurgen Klopp and Co making the short trip to East Manchester.
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But Gomez, who was signed from Anderlecht during the summer, believes City will be ready for the clash against Liverpool, regardless of who is available.
“The players that were in Abu Dhabi for the little pre-season had the opportunity to get ready for the upcoming games,” said the wing-back in a discussion with City's official website. “For some other players there may be less time to prepare.
“We need all the players in our squad and when they are all back from the World Cup we’re hoping they will feel strong and be ready to play again. I feel ready to play and I am hoping to play an important role.”
Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne are both expected to be part of Guardiola's plans after they made an earlier-than-anticipated return to City Football Academy following Germany and Belgium's shock group stage exits. City will also be able to call on the services of Eriling Haaland, who was able to replenish himself since the Premier League's hiatus in early November as Norway failed to qualify for the finals.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are expected to be able to name Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold in their squad for the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie. However, Klopp indicated after the friendly victory over AC Milan on Friday that Virgil van Dijk will not be called upon for the fixture but could feature during Monday's Premier League clash at Aston Villa.
It means that Stefan Bajcetic, Bobby Clark and Ben Doak could all find themselves in the matchday squad at the Etihad as the Reds face their first severe test of defending their record-breaking League Cup title, which they won courtesy of a penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea at Wembley in February.
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