Man City has 3 players missing against Liverpool with more injury doubts for Pep Guardiola

Manchester City could be without as many as five players against Liverpool on Sunday, with John Stones and Jeremy Doku doubtful to feature at Anfield.

Stones could only manage 45 minutes against Tottenham last weekend and did not figure against Feyenoord in midweek. The former Everton center-back is currently suffering from plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes heel pain, and it is not clear whether he will be available to face Liverpool.

Doku, meanwhile, is contending with a muscular issue which has kept him sidelined since City's 4-1 defeat by Sporting Lisbon at the beginning of November.

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Pep Guardiola could not offer a definitive update on either player in his pre-match press conference, but three players City will definitely be without are Rodri, Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Bobb.

Ballon d'Or winner Rodri has not featured for City since sustaining a serious knee injury during a draw with Arsenal in September and could miss the remainder of the season, while Bobb is also a long-term absentee with a broken leg.

Kovacic, meanwhile, sustained an unspecified injury during the recent international break which Guardiola said would keep him out of action for around a month.

Guardiola goes into the game in the midst of the worst run of his managerial career, with City having lost five and drawn one of its last six matches.

A trip to Anfield is the last thing City needs and Guardiola acknowledged just how good Liverpool has been this season under new head coach Arne Slot.

“It’s really good. Maybe [Slot plays a] more positional game but the transition from Jurgen always is there. Every corner or free-kick for you is a transition for them,” Guardiola began.

“How quick they are and the weapons that they have up front, always have been there. It was Mane, Firmino, always Mo Salah, now it’s Jota, Nunez, Luis Diaz too.

“You know the opinion I have and the respect [for Liverpool]. We fought the biggest battles in my time here. Always I have a big consideration for this club and nothing changes. They’re doing well, they’re so stable and really good but that’s good we’ll learn from that.”