Pep Guardiola explains why Ruben Dias is on the bench for Man City against Liverpool

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has detailed the reasoning behind Ruben Dias' omission at Anfield this afternoon.

The Portugal international has been one of the Blues most consistent performers over recent weeks, but it was Manuel Akanji who was preferred in defence, with Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker lining up beside him in a three-man defence.

City, who are still competing for yet another Treble this season, know how much defeat on Merseyside could potentially hinder their hopes of a third successive top-flight crown this season, and Guardiola explained to Sky Sports why Dias was unfortunate to miss against the Reds this afternoon.

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"Having travelled three-to-four central defenders, I decided for Manu [Manuel Akanji] with his speed - he is facing one of the fastest players [Darwin Nunez]," explained the City boss.

The 26-year-old defender will no doubt be disappointed to miss out given the sheer magnitude of the game taking place against Jurgen Klopp's men, especially with fellow title contenders Arsenal continuing to breathe down both teams's necks with some ten games left of a highly competitive season.

Dias has only previously been named as a sub on two occasions this season, during 3-1 and 6-1 wins over Burnley and Bournemouth, respectively. City do have plenty of fixtures to contend with, and that may also be part of Guardiola's reasoning to rest the centre-back this afternoon.

The Blues are set to take on Newcastle United next weekend in their FA Cup quarter-final contest before Arsenal come next after the completion of the upcoming international break at the end of March.