First against second, Jürgen Klopp against Pep Guardiola, Liverpool FC against Manchester City – and Darwin Nunez’s next show?
Klopp is relying entirely on the in-form Uruguayan in what could be a decisive duel for the Premier League title. “The quality is coming out of his ears,” Klopp said of his attacker, who scored a brace in the 5-1 first leg of the Europa League round of 16 at Sparta Prague.
Now Nunez should also annoy the City defense. “He has the most important attitude a striker has to have – he misses chances, which all strikers do, but it doesn’t really bother him. He just keeps going,” Klopp said of the 24-year-old, who has 16 goals so far this season scored and prepared another eleven: “There are still many games and opportunities to score a goal.” But even if Nunez “doesn’t score goals, he’s incredibly important for us because he’s just a constant threat and gives us spaces and opportunities that we can take advantage of,” Klopp said.
And that’s exactly what he’s hoping for in his last Premier League duel with Guardiola. With 11 games remaining, Liverpool are one point ahead of defending champions City as league leaders, but Klopp’s announcement that he will step down as Reds team manager at the end of the season has added an extra layer of significance to Sunday’s crucial clash at Anfield. “I’ll sleep better. The games against Liverpool were almost a nightmare,” Guardiola said after Klopp’s decision.
Following their time together in the Bundesliga, Klopp and Guardiola have met 15 times in the Premier League since 2016, with Klopp claiming four wins and Guardiola winning five.
2024-03-08 09:23:10
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