Dugout Discussion

Mane, Fabinho and Alisson return for Liverpool as Guardiola benches Jesus

The most-anticipated Premier League fixture of the weekend, and perhaps the calendar year so far, sees reigning champions Liverpool take on current league leaders Manchester City.

Kick-off at Anfield is at 16:30 GMT.

A win for City would take them ten points clear of Jurgen Klopp’s side, with the blue half of Manchester also having a game in hand to play on top of that.

Klopp has brought back three of his big guns from illness and injury for this fixture, with Sadio Mane, Alisson and Fabinho returning to the starting XI.

Fabinho will be deployed alongside Jordan Henderson at centre-half, with the Liverpool boss resisting the urge to hand a first start to new recruits Ozan Kabak or Ben Davies – the latter of whom doesn’t even make the matchday squad.

Along with the three returning players above, Curtis Jones is recalled to the hosts’ line-up.

Xherdan Shaqiri, James Milner, Nat Phillips and Caoimhin Kelleher are the men to make way.

Guardiola has made two changes to his City line-up as Oleksandr Zinchenko and Phil Foden start in place of the benched Aymeric Laporte and Gabriel Jesus.

The form book points to City in this fixture, with the visitors on a nine-match winning run in the top flight.

Guardiola’s troops have recorded 11 shut-outs in their last 13 matches, too.

Liverpool have won only two of their last eight Premier League games, meanwhile, with many of their key FPL assets in poor form.

Andrew Robertson is on his longest barren run without an attacking return since his debut season at Anfield, while Mohamed Salah – who is still the division’s top goalscorer, lest we forget – hasn’t found the net on Merseyside since Gameweek 13.


Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Henderson, Robertson, Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones, Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Gundogan, Mahrez, Sterling, Foden.

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2,350 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Paqueta Rice
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Salah captain 😎

  2. Holmes
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Boom ederson

  3. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Yes!!!!

  4. R.C
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    lmao thats a dive wtf

    1. Joey Tribbiani
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      ikr

    2. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Tug ; utterly daft

    3. BeaversWithAttitude
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Bigtime!

  5. Elly88 > KTR (Kevin The …
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    (D)ias locked in and key thown into the ocean.

  6. Pat Bonner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Good pen

  7. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Dias still on 3 bonus Inazuma?

    1. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yeah right 😛

  8. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Salah!

  9. Make Arrows Green Again
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Salah assists his own goal. Class

  10. Joey Tribbiani
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    thats a dive wtf

    1. BeaversWithAttitude
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Ikr? Salah always so dramatic. Looks ridiculous on replay. Like a damsel in distress.

  11. Party time
      3 years, 2 months ago

      City CS in flames

    • Shatner's Bassoon
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Should really lose FPL points for conceding a peno

    • Duke Silver ☑
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Definite pen but Salah sold that beautifully 😆

      1. BeaversWithAttitude
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Lol. Deserves a Raspberry Award. Terrible actor, Salah.

    • ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Drop Dias for that

      Inexcusable

      1. WVA
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        You just said it was a dive

    • Abusive_Sgt_Daelrhos
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Yes Sala

    • KGFC
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Salah G
      Salah A 😛

    • Rolls-Royce
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Moooooooooooooooooo

    • My heart goes Salalalalah
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Double clean sheet gone

      1. KGFC
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Same... 🙁

      2. Supertrooper
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Same, as well as having Salah 1st on bench :/

        1. My heart goes Salalalalah
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Ooooh that sucks

    • svasei - Up (?) the Rovers
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Stones coming off the bench for Dier.

      1. Sun Jihai
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Same. Lovely.

    • MoSalad
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Salah get in

    • Cilly Bonnolly
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Brilliant.

    • Warby84
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Salah!!!!

    • Bounce
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Return of the King!!!!!

      1. George Sillett
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        What return ? Completely anonymous all game . Oh I see you mean diving king.

        1. Cilly Bonnolly
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Someone’s bitter.

    • WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Salahhhhhhhh

    • Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Salah and Gundo! Dreamy!

      Hope there weren’t many who actually benched Salah for double/triple City defence?

    • Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Dias 9 points to 1!

    • Mile Plankton
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      GW gone to sh1te in 15 minutes.

    • BobB
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I have both Diaz and Salah so bitter-sweet

    • Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      The drama continues ... love this!

    • _Ninja_
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I seen earlier that someone benched Salah.. and played Soucek.