Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has plenty of selection dilemmas to solve for Sunday's Premier League blockbuster against Liverpool at Anfield.
John Stones (foot), Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg) and Mateo Kovacic (unspecified) are all expected to sit out the top-of-the-table battle through injury, but Jeremy Doku has a strong chance of making his comeback from a thigh problem.
The Citizens did not suffer any fresh blows in their 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League in midweek, where Ruben Dias made the bench after a calf problem and will now surely come straight back into contention for a starting role.
With Josko Gvardiol low on confidence and proving increasingly error-prone, Guardiola may hesitate to put him up against an on-song Mohamed Salah; instead, Nathan Ake may be better-equipped to deal with the electrifying Egyptian.
Gvardiol could therefore sit this one out as Dias joins Manuel Akanji in the heart of defence, while an ageing but well-rested Kyle Walker should displace Rico Lewis on account of his big-game experience.
Guardiola is facing a couple of predicaments in midfield, where Matheus Nunes put in a good shift against Feyenoord, and Kevin De Bruyne is pushing to make his first Premier League start since the middle of September.
A trio of Nunes, De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan may prove to be Man City's best shot at winning the midfield battle, allowing Bernardo Silva and Savinho to support Erling Haaland up top; Phil Foden and Jack Grealish would make way.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Nunes, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Savinho
> Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this clash
Ben Knapton
