Manchester City welcome Liverpool to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday for a lunchtime kick-off.
While the Merseyside club are welcoming back a number of players from long-term injuries, including dangerous winger Luis Diaz, City may be forced to play without a couple of key figures. Phil Foden will definitely not be involved at the weekend, while star striker Erling Haaland is also a doubt to make the starting line-up.
City have such a strong squad that even players like Foden and Haaland can be replaced by top-quality stars. Jack Grealish or Bernardo Silva can cover Foden were Pep Guardiola planning on playing him on the left of a front-three, while the likes of Ilkay Gundogan could slot into the team in place of the young English midfielder if the plan was to play him in midfield.
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Meanwhile, World Cup winner Julian Alvarez has looked bright since arriving at the club and he could lead the line should Haaland miss out. A striker as formidable as Haaland is always going to be a tough man to overtake in the frontline pecking order, and so it’ll be down to Alvarez to build upon the positive glimpses we’ve already seen from him this season if he is given his chance.
Foden has gone under the radar this campaign, mainly because of the headline-grabbing Norwegian striker he tends to play alongside. That being said, the England international has still managed to score 13 goals across all competitions, along with six assists.
Gundogan only has four goals and three assists after a similar number of appearances. Whether the German, a player who could leave in the summer, can increase his creative output on Saturday could be a key factor in whether City can live without the presence of Foden.
His absence is good news for Liverpool, even if City do have plenty of players ready to step in. Foden has played the Reds five times in the Premier League, averaging a goal contribution every game. He sits on three goals and two assists against the Merseyside club, highlighting his ability to perform against the best.
Then again, Foden hasn’t always been the answer to City’s occasional struggles. In the Premier League this season, he’s lasted the full 90 minutes just seven times. In four of those games, City have failed to win, including the 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture against Liverpool.
This shows that City aren't unbeatable when Foden is involved, although he is often replaced early on if City are cruising to victory.
His lack of involvement will always be more of a concern than the rare showing of ineffectiveness on the pitch. The last time Foden wasn’t in the squad came in early February when City lost away at Tottenham.
He was given just three minutes to make an impact against Everton in December in a match that ended in a disappointing draw. Guardiola will need to rely on the players available to somehow provide the spark that Foden so often injects into their performances.
If his lay-off is going to be noticed, then the possibility of Haaland missing out could leave a gaping hole. Any side is going to struggle without a player who has 42 goals to his name already this term. But it may not be as severe a cause for concern as many would suspect.
Alvarez has proven to be a reliable understudy, with 16 goal contributions in just over half the minutes that Haaland has played, suggesting the World Cup winner is more than capable of stepping up when required.
The last time that Haaland missed out completely came back in October, with City managing to beat Leicester 1-0 despite his absence. In the Champions League, he was injured for the match against Sevilla, allowing Alvarez to score and help City to a 3-1 victory. There is enough in the City squad to scare any defence, even without the formidable Haaland.
And it must be remembered that in three games against Liverpool this season, Haaland’s involvement hasn’t helped them avoid defeat on two occasions. It might take something different from an unexpected hero to see them earn a positive result this time around.
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