Klopp's surprise against Manchester City, Guardiola KO

The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is now behind us. It is then that with Argentina's third title, we begin to rub our hands together for the resumption of the main football leagues in the world. In England the official activity starts with the EFL Cup Round of 16, where we have a match of true titans. Liverpool FC and Manchester City will define in 90" minutes or more, the qualifier to the next round.

This will be a duel of strategy. From the dugouts, two of the Premier League's leading characters will once again face each other. From the Big Island, the press has called this match the new rivalry of English football, and in the last five matches between them, the Red's have the advantage of three wins, over two draws. Even those wins have been back-to-back, with the last one being a clean sheet.

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Pep Guardiola could be in for a surprise from Klopp, who will field a highly competitive starting eleven that could either seal the win in the opening minutes or inside normal time. The spectacle is guaranteed, as the last two champions of this important tournament in England will be in Manchester, with The Pool being the reigning champions after four titles in a row won by the "Sky Blues".

There is speculation from inside Anfield that Klopp would be playing with: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson, Thiago, Keita, Salah, Carvalho, Nunez and Firmino, thus testing the South American duo that would work with Mo Salah in the Reds attack. Keita, whose days on Merseyside are numbered, would deploy his talents with Thiago, who is reportedly looking better after missing the World Cup due to the injuries that have dogged him in recent seasons.

Klopp wants to shut out Guardiola

The round of 16 match is scheduled for Thursday, where after the final whistle, Klopp's boys will have four days to prepare for Boxing Day against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The 2022 fixture closes with an Anfield clash against Jaime Vardy's Leicester City in the Premier League matchday 18 on 20 December. The last six points of the year are important to continue climbing the table, where Liverpool FC are currently sixth overall.