Karen Carney has pinpointed one Liverpool player whose presence today could be ‘key’ to inflicting a direct blow on Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
The two heavyweights go head-to-head at Anfield this afternoon, and the Reds were given a boost in recent days by the return from injury of Mo Salah, who came off the bench for the final 16 minutes of the 5-1 win away to Sparta Prague on Thursday.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the ex-England international believes that the extent of the 31-year-old’s involvement against City could go a long way towards the eventual result.
Carney said: “The key thing is how long Salah’s gonna play. I know he’s had his fitness tests in Europe this week. I think he got 16 minutes or something like that. That’ll be key for me.
“[We’ll see] whether he comes off the bench, because we’ve seen how good they are from bringing players on and scoring from substitute positions. How much you get out of him, and the quality you get out of him, will be a massive factor for Liverpool.”
Salah’s incredible consistency in front of goal – he only needs one more to reach 20 for a seventh consecutive season – would make him a priceless asset for any team in world football, so the possibility of him starting today could indeed be huge for Liverpool.
He also boasts a fantastic track record in this fixture, scoring in all but one of City’s last seven visits to Anfield (Transfermarkt), and seeing his name in the starting XI this afternoon would most certainly give Reds fans a massive lift prior to kick-off.
He made the difference at home to Pep Guardiola’s side last season, and if he plays today, you’d bank on him to be the likeliest man to tip the scales in our favour yet again.
You can view Carney’s verdict below, via @SkySportsPL on X (formerly Twitter):
Karen Carney believes how much Mo Salah features will be a massive factor for Liverpool against Manchester City ⏳ pic.twitter.com/OWXkrdgnVa
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 9, 2024