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Manchester City expected to be without Kevin De Bruyne for Liverpool clash

Manchester City are expected to be without midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for their crunch clash with Liverpool on Thursday. The Cityzens are seven points behind Liverpool and could greatly close the gap with a win.

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Manchester City without Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne continues to struggle with injury this term. The Belgian has suffered two knee injuries this season and is currently facing time out due to a muscle problem. De Bruyne missed Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Southampton at the weekend.

The midfielder has played just six times in Premier League this term with five of those appearances coming from the bench.

Although De Bruyne’s injury isn’t serious, according to manager Pep Guardiola, it is believed he will miss out on the game. If De Bruyne is fit enough to feature, he won’t start due to the importance of the fixture and his recent injury issues.

Manchester City injury issues

Guardiola is facing further injury problems as Liverpool prepare to visit the Etihad Stadium. Both Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph are set to miss out. While Mendy is injured, Delph will miss out due to suspension. Guardiola will have problems finding a left-back replacement.

Midfielder Ikay Gundogan is also set to miss the fixture due to injury.

Manchester City are favourites to win

The Cityzens have won just once in their last 11 games against  Liverpool in all competitions. Three matches have ended in draws while seven have seen Manchester City defeats.

Manchester City did defeat Liverpool 5-0 at the Etihad last season.

The two sides met at Anfield in October. The fixture ended nil-nil after Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez missed a second-half penalty.

Leading sportsbooks have installed Manchester City as favourites to win on Thursday. Liverpool have struggled in the month of January under manager Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool have won just five of their last 17 matches in January.

Will Manchester City win Thursday’s big crunch match against Liverpool?