Pep Guardiola is expected to unleash his new striking sensation Erling Haaland against Liverpool this weekend, a new report has revealed.
The Manchester City manager looks set to send out his Norwegian superstar in what could be a direct response to Liverpool being forced in to starting Adrian between the sticks - their third-choice goalkeeper.
Jurgen Klopp’s reasoning for starting the Spaniard is down to Alisson’s fitness, with the Brazilian sustaining an abdominal injury during their first pre-season friendly against Manchester United.
Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will not be ready for Saturday’s fixture either, so he too will be watching the game from the sidelines.
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Pep Guardiola will look to get the rivalry between the defending Premier League Champions and last season's runners-up off to a heated start on Saturday evening.
Last year, the rivalry was a fairly level affair, with both fixtures in the Premier League ending in a 2-2 draw.
Erling Haaland’s offensive energy for Manchester City may now be exactly what Pep Guardiola's side need to come out on top.
In his unofficial debut for City against reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in pre-season, Erling Haaland tapped in a pass from Jack Grealish in the 12th minute, which ended up being the Blues' winning goal.
When discussing the Norwegian's debut, Pep Guardiola was happy with his performance and where he slots in on the pitch.
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"He scored a goal, it's important, these type of balls in front of the keeper always he's there,” said Pep Guardiola.
Just as the Etihad side shelled out £51 million for the now-former Borussia Dortmund striker this summer, Liverpool went out and spent £85 million of their own, on Darwin Nunez from Benfica.
It is currently not known whether the Uruguayan will start on Saturday evening, but it would not be surprising judging by the player's impressive four-goal performance against RB Leipzig during pre-season.
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Darwin Nunez may need to provide the offensive energy which he brought during his time with the Portuguese side, as Liverpool will be without one of their key forwards.
On Thursday, Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Diogo Jota will be sitting out of the Community Shield, after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this summer.
Last season with the Merseyside club, Jota scored an impressive 15 goals in the Premier League - the third highest in his team behind Sadio Mane, who departed for Bayern Munich earlier in the transfer window for a fee of £35 million.
Topics: Erling Haaland, Manchester City, Liverpool, Football, Community Shield
