Confirmed: Erling Haaland not in Manchester City squad for Liverpool match

Michael Adesina

In a stunning development, the formidable Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland, is not in Manchester City’s squad, slated to confront League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

This comes on the heels of Pep Guardiola’s revelation that Haaland’s absence from the pivotal match against Real Madrid on Wednesday was precipitated by a debilitating injury.

“He (Haaland) was crazy to play the game. He had a problem with his knee and he could not play,” Guardiola stated while defending his decision to put Haaland on the bench on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, has opted for an unconventional attacking lineup, featuring an intriguing quartet comprising Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz, and the mercurial Mohamed Salah.

This unorthodox selection has sparked intense speculation regarding Liverpool’s tactical approach in today’s match.

The Liverpool starting XI has been confirmed as follows: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk (captain), Robertson, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah, Diaz, and Mac Allister. The substitutes bench boasts an impressive array of talent, including Kelleher, Tsimikas, Quansah, Endo, Elliott, Nunez, Chiesa, Gakpo, and Jota.

Manchester City’s starting XI also still presents a formidable lineup, featuring Ederson, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, Gvardiol, Nico, De Bruyne (captain), Savinho, Foden, Doku, and Marmoush.

The substitutes bench is equally impressive, with Ortega, Dias, Kovacic, Grealish, Gundogan, Bernardo, Reis, Nunes, and McAtee poised to make an impact if called upon.