‘We have weapons again’ – Pep Guardiola makes confident claim before facing Liverpool | OneFootball

Manchester City’s injury situation is clearing just in time for our trip to the Etihad, with Pep Guardiola admitting he now has “weapons” at his disposal again – a warning that Liverpool will need to be at their absolute best to silence.

Guardiola’s confident message before Liverpool visit

(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s showdown, the City boss told mancity.com: “You see the bench now, we have weapons to change systems and dynamics. The players off the bench can make a huge impact.”

The Spaniard, who guided his side to third last season, said the return of key players after a difficult injury spell has transformed their depth.

“Last season that couldn’t happen and it was the main reason [we struggled],” he explained. “Now we have strength in depth. Everyone can make a huge impact at any moment.”

It’s a clear warning ahead of what’s shaping up to be another huge Premier League clash between the division’s most intense rivals of recent years.

City will, however, remain without Mateo Kovacic after the Croatian was ruled out until March 2026 with an ankle injury, according to premierleagueinjuries.com.

Guardiola confirmed that the midfielder “will be out for a while”, but his absence is offset by the return of several others.

Liverpool’s response will define our title credentials

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

From our perspective, this is another chance to measure how far Arne Slot’s side have come since this summer’s rebuild.

The boss has already confirmed in his pre-match update that Alexander Isak is back in full training, though he warned supporters not to expect him “to be at his best immediately”.

The 47-year-old also revealed that Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong are likely to return after the international break, adding stability and depth to our back line.

Meanwhile, Opta’s supercomputer prediction favoured City, giving Guardiola’s side a 45.4% chance of victory compared to 27.7% for Liverpool, but numbers rarely tell the full story when these two meet.

Mo Salah is just one goal or assist from surpassing Wayne Rooney’s record for most goal involvements at a single club, against a side he has a strong history of performing against.

City may think they’ve got their “weapons” back but we’ve been sharpening ours quietly in the last two games.

You can view Slot’s pre-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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