Liverpool FC clash will be a true test of Pep Guardiola's Man City rule

With Manchester City set to take on Liverpool later this month, injury problems are taking their toll on Pep Guardiola’s side. But misfortune for some players may represent opportunities for others.

With John Stones out injured and Nathan Ake withdrawing from international duty this week, City may well start with Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol in the backline.

City’s midfield department has been hit hard by injury issues, with Kevin De Bruyne sidelined since the opening-day win over Burnley while Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes have joined him in the treatment room this week.

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Kalvin Phillips still hasn’t earned the trust of Guardiola and looks like he could well be heading for the exit door.

Ederson suffered a knock against Chelsea last weekend and the shot-stopper was subsequently forced to withdraw from international duty with Brazil. City obviously have an exceptional back-up in Stefan Ortega, who has featured regularly for City in cup competitions and even made a Premier League appearance earlier this season.

Sergio Gomez could have been given the opportunity to earn more minutes with Ake picking up a knock, but he too finds himself on the sidelines.

City received another injury scare with Erling Haaland hobbling off with a recurring ankle injury on Thursday. The Norway striker has remained with his national team ahead of Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Scotland so hopefully the injury is not as bad as first feared.

Guardiola has always insisted he likes to work with smaller squads, with players able to play in numerous different positions to