Martin Keown has shared his thoughts on the game with the Daily Mail, talking about a key battle and two Liverpool players City will have to keep an eye on.
The former Arsenal and England defender stated: “Jurgen Klopp likes to build his sides around a powerful centre forward. With Christian Benteke at Liverpool, he has just the man for the job.”
“When the big Belgian is fired up, he can be an absolute beast. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool press high or sit back on Saturday.
“If they do press high up the pitch then Benteke will have to work but he’s more than capable. Man City’s two centre backs today cost more than £60million, even though neither is their No 1 choice. I have been impressed by Nicolas Otamendi but Benteke will provide a real physical battle for them.
“Raheem Sterling will be keen to prove he made the right move by leaving Liverpool. But in Nathaniel Clyne, Liverpool have almost the perfect man to deal with him.
“Clyne can match Sterling for pace over 10 yards. The problem for the visitors will be when Sterling starts to drift infield from his flank.
“Jordon Ibe is almost like a new signing for Klopp and the German is clearly a fan of the youngster. Ibe is forming a good partnership with Clyne on the right and they can give City problems.”
In an interview with SkySports, Stuart Pearce says Joe Hart is ‘critical’ to Manchester City’s chances of regaining the Premier League title this season.
Going into the game against Liverpool at the Etihad, the England and City number one has kept seven clean sheets in 11 appearances and his fantastic form has been noticed by the former City boss.
He said: “I think he’s critical. When he’s one-on-one he’s so great, he spreads himself so well.
“England have been very fortunate because I think the best two goalkeepers in the country this season have been Hart and Jack Butland, so they’ve got two fantastic goalkeepers going head-to-head at international level.
“But Hart, in the games he’s played for City, you can see the experience he’s got and the kid he is as well. He’s very level-headed, feet firmly on the ground, and he plays with a smile on his face which is always nice to see.”
And finally, according to Supersport.
The 19-year old was called up by Nigeria head coach Sunday Oliseh for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying double header against Swaziland and made his debut as a second half substitute in the first fixture.
“It is a dream come true to play for Nigeria’s Super Eagles. I was happy get the call and I want to use this opportunity to thank the coach and the Nigeria Football Federation for the opportunity,” Iheanacho told supersport.com.
“I am learning everyday at City playing and training with great players everyday.
“This will help me in the national team and I hope to play for the Super Eagles for many, many years.”
That’s all for today in terms of City-related headlines but stay tuned to mcfc.co.uk for more pre-match build-up throughout the day...
