Pep Guardiola could face a selection dilemma when Man City travel to take on Liverpool in the top-of-the-table clash at Anfield on Sunday after one of his key attacking players was absent from training on Tuesday afternoon.
Winger Jeremy Doku was not seen during an open session held at Manchester City’s training ground, sparking concerns that he could miss the Anfield showdown.
The encounter is expected to be a pivotal moment in the title race, with first-placed Liverpool and second-placed City separated by just one point.
The 21-year-old has impressed since his transfer from Rennes last summer and, with Jack Grealish already sidelined due to a groin injury, the Belgian was expected to play a big role in City’s critical upcoming fixtures.
Before their high-stakes league fixture at the weekend, Manchester City’s immediate focus is on the Champions League, where they are set to battle Copenhagen in the last-16 second leg on Wednesday.
Guardiola’s men are strong favourites to progress to the next round of Europe’s elite competition after winning the first leg in Denmark by three goals to one.
While the nature of Doku’s absence is unknown at present, there has been some positive news for the Citizens in recent days as left-back Josko Gvardiol made his return as an unused substitute in Sunday’s Manchester derby, where City secured a convincing 3-1 victory.
Otherwise, Guardiola can boast a fully fit squad and will be hoping to keep it that way ahead of Sunday.
Whether he will rest key stars for the Champions League game at the Etihad tomorrow remains to be seen.
Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, will have to do without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Thiago as they step up their rehabilitation.
However, both Darwin Nunez, who scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest, and Dominik Szoboszlai made returns off the bench on Saturday. Both could start against City on Sunday.
Mohamed Salah, too, is on the comeback trail from muscle fatigue and could be set for a place on the bench.
Likewise, Ryan Gravenberch, who was diagnosed with a ligament issue following Moises Caicedo’s bad challenge during the Carabao Cup final, could return to play some part against City with his injury not as serious as first feared.
