Glen Johnson has claimed that one Manchester City player could be in for a ‘tough’ afternoon against Liverpool on Saturday.
The Premier League’s top two go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium this coming weekend, with the home side one point clear of Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Although City are currently leading the way in their bid for a fourth successive title, the former Reds defender believes the Merseysiders have one man in particular who can torment his direct opponent.
Johnson told Squawka: “If [Mo] Salah is on form he makes it tough for anybody in the world, so that won’t be the benchmark for Josko Gvardiol.
“He’s obviously a good defender and he’s been trusted straight away to play in these big games by [Pep] Guardiola. Of course he’ll have a tough game defending Salah but he’s a talented player.”
Gvardiol has been used primarily as a left-back since joining Man City in the summer, although his last couple of appearances have seen him deployed centrally (Transfermarkt).
It remains to be seen if Guardiola will put the Croatian directly up against Salah on Saturday, with a back three setup seeing them concede four times against Chelsea in their previous game.
The Liverpool attacker has been in scintillating form even by his own lofty standards, with seven goals in his last five league matches and 12 overall for the season (Transfermarkt); and whoever’s in direct opposition to him at the weekend, the 31-year-old will fancy his chances of making a telling impact yet again.
City are among the Egyptian’s favourite opponents – across his entire career, Man United are the only team (12) against whom he’s scored more often than the other club from Manchester (11), as per Transfermarkt.
While Gvardiol is a superb defender who’s had a decent start to his time in England, he’s set to face his sternest examination yet in the form of the imperious, free-scoring Salah, who we’re confident will find the net again on Saturday.
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