Mohamed Salah has failed to make the starting lineup for Liverpool’s blockbuster Premier League clash with Manchester City at Anfield.
The Egypt international came back from his second muscle injury of the year in Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague, and a return to the first XI for the visit of the champions was heavily anticipated.
However, just hours after it was confirmed that Salah would not be joining up with the Egypt squad for the international break, the 31-year-old has not been risked from the start, allowing Harvey Elliott to begin the contest on the right wing.
Unlike the ex-Chelsea man, though, Dominik Szoboszlai is given the green light to return to the starting lineup, forming a first-choice midfield with Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister.
Salah is one of two big names on the Liverpool bench, as Andrew Robertson has also been omitted from the starting XI, while Ibrahima Konate misses out entirely after picking up an injury in midweek.
With Konate missing, Virgil van Dijk is a straight swap for the Frenchman in the backline – joining Jarell Quansah in the heart of the rearguard – while Joe Gomez will seemingly line up on the left-hand side.
As for Man City, both Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes have passed fitness tests to make themselves available to Pep Guardiola, with the former overcoming a muscular problem, although he is only on the bench as well.
Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden – taking Nunes place after the Portuguese dislocated his finger against Copenhagen in the Champions League – will therefore join Erling Haaland at the tip of the three-pronged attack.
In defence, Manuel Akanji is the only man to keep his place after scoring in midweek, as John Stones, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake come in for Ruben Dias, Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol.
Liverpool hold a one-point lead over Guardiola’s men in second place in the Premier League table, but only a win will do for either side if they are to return to the top of the rankings above Arsenal.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Elliott, Nunez, Diaz
Subs: Adrian, Nallo, Tsimikas, Robertson, McConnell, Clark, Gakpo, Koumas, Salah
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Alvarez
Subs: Ortega, Dias, Kovacic, Doku, Gomez, Gvardiol, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis
