Vincent Kompany is expected to miss Man City’s clash with Liverpool at the Etihad on Saturday, handing the Reds a major boost.
The Belgian international has been blighted by injuries for a number of years now, but he had started the season well and maintained his fitness.
As per Pep Guardiola in his press conference on Friday though, it looks as though he’s suffered a setback and will not feature against Liverpool in the early-season crunch clash between the two Premier League title rivals.
PEP: I do not think @VincentKompany will be available tomorrow. #cityvlfc #mancity
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 8, 2017
While that’s not to say that Guardiola shouldn’t be able to cope with the injury given the squad depth that he has at his disposal, being without Kompany is of course a setback in itself given the defensive solidity and leadership he brings to the backline.
That will be something that Liverpool look to expose as they hope to maintain their impressive start to the campaign, while both teams currently sit level on seven points after their opening three outings.
It promises to be an open and exciting game between these two sides given the attacking quality that they both possess, and it could be even more exciting now that Kompany is not in the equation to keep things tight at the back for the hosts.