Liverpool boosted as Man City hit by hammer blow pre-showdown – Agbonlahor
Gabby Agbonlahor has lambasted Pep Guardiola for “moaning” about his lack of senior players ahead of Man City’s Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool on Thursday (22 December).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Aston Villa and England attacker backed Liverpool to beat Man City at the Etihad because the likes of Darwin Nunez will be available.
Guardiola told club media at the weekend (17 December) that he only has four players available for the game and he questioned the timing of the fixture.
Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are back in training after Belgium and Germany were knocked out during the World Cup group stages while Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez did not go to the tournament.
“I think it will probably be Liverpool that win,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“Liverpool have a lot of players that didn’t go to the World Cup and players who went out early. Look at Nunez, he was knocked out during the group stages. The likes of Van Dijk probably won’t be back yet.
“I just think that it’s one of those things. Man City have got a very good Under-21s, they’ve got players who are banging on the first-team door.
“A lot of teams use this competition as well to rotate out the first-team players.
“I think Pep’s just got to get on with in and stop moaning, to be honest. Just get on with it and play what you’ve got, there’s nothing you can do about it now.”
Liverpool beat Man City 1-0 in the Premier League at Anfield in October when the two sides last met.
City are currently second in the league, 10 points above the Reds who are down in sixth.
In other news, Liverpool are in talks to sign a striker Jurgen Klopp has called “sensational”.