Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling will be one of several players facing a former club when Liverpool visit on Saturday, but visiting manager Jurgen Klopp has played down the significance of the reunion.
Sterling, 20, felt the ire of Liverpool’s supporters after rejecting a contract offer from the club at the end of last season and subsequently joined City in a deal that could be worth up to £49 million (Dh274m).
The England forward’s conduct was criticised by Liverpool greats including Steven Gerrard and Graeme Souness and he can expect a frosty reception from the away fans at the Etihad Stadium, but Klopp said it will be nothing that has not happened inside a football ground before.
“That’s football. It’s normal in football that former players play against their old club or whatever,” the German said.
“It’s absolutely normal and nothing special. I don’t know how many friends Raheem had here or has here.
“He played here for a long time, had a good time here. I’ve heard no bad words about him. Good player, good boy, so (let’s be) friendly, shake hands, then it’s football.”
[Richard Jolly: Stepping stones hurt Liverpool fans as they travel to Man City to see Raheem Sterling]
After a quiet start to his City career, Sterling has hit form in the last month, notably netting a hat-trick against Bournemouth, and manager Manuel Pellegrini has been pleased by the pace of his adaptation.
“I always say that Raheem is a very young player. He must improve a lot and in important things,” he said.
“It is important also he can demonstrate it in every game, but I am very happy with the way he is playing so far.”
Liverpool drew the first three games of Klopp’s reign before reeling off three successive wins, including an impressive 3-1 victory away to defending champions Chelsea on the last day of October.
But they lost 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace in their last league game before the international break and go into the weekend seven points off the Champions League places in 10th place.
The consensus over the campaign’s opening weeks was that City were the division’s outstanding team as Pellegrini’s team won their first five matches without conceding a goal.
But their level has dipped since then as injuries have taken a toll and they have won only three of their last seven league matches, culminating in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on their last outing.
[Predictions: Manchester City too good for Liverpool, Chelsea earn a much-needed win]
It has allowed the chasing pack to close in and the concertina effect at the top of the table means that although City enter the weekend as leaders — above Arsenal on goal difference — they could be as low as fourth in the standings by the time the game kicks off.
The two-week international break has given City striker Sergio Aguero time to recover after seven games out with a hamstring injury and he is due to make his comeback against Liverpool.
Aguero’s Argentina teammate Pablo Zabaleta is also back in contention after a knee problem, but captain Vincent Kompany (calf), playmaker David Silva (ankle), midfielder Samir Nasri (hamstring) and striker Wilfried Bony (hamstring) remain sidelined.
While City’s fans will be delighted at the prospect of seeing Aguero back in a sky blue shirt, Liverpool could also welcome back their key striker if Daniel Sturridge can prove his fitness in time.
The former City man has not played for Klopp yet after hurting his knee in training and remains short of full fitness, but the German said there was a chance he could feature.
James Milner is also in line to play against his former club, having shaken off a hamstring problem.
Liverpool have not won at City in six league games — a run stretching back to October 2008 — but prevailed 2-1 when the sides last met at Anfield in March.
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Second Test, Day 2:
South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining
Fixture and table
UAE finals day: Friday, April 13 at Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
- 3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
- 6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership – final standings
- Dubai Exiles
- Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Jebel Ali Dragons
- Dubai Hurricanes
- Dubai Sports City Eagles
- Abu Dhabi Saracens
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.5L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh129,999 (VX Luxury); from Dh149,999 (VX Black Gold)
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
The Boy and the Heron
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki
Rating: 5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
SPEC SHEET: SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FLIP 4
Display: Main – 6.7" FHD Dynamic Amoled 2X, 2640 x 1080, 22:9, 425ppi, HDR10+, up to 120Hz; cover – 1.9" Super Amoled, 512 x 260, 302ppi
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 4nm, octa-core; Adreno 730 GPU
Memory: 8GB
Capacity: 128/256/512GB
Platform: Android 12, One UI 4.1.1
Main camera: Dual 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) + 12MP wide (f/1.8), OIS, portrait, super slo-mo, hyperlapse
Video: 4K@30/60fps, full-HD@30/60fps, HD@30fps; slo-mo@240/960fps; HDR10+
Front camera: 10MP (f/2.4)
Battery: 3700mAh, 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, 'all-day' life
Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC (Samsung Pay)
I/O: USB-C
Cards: Nano-SIM + eSIM; no microSD slot
Colours: Bora purple, graphite, pink gold, blue; Bespoke Edition in select countries
In the box: Flip 4, USB-C-to-USB-C cable
Price: Dh3,799 / Dh3,999 / Dh4,449
Company profile
Date started: May 2022
Founder: Husam Aboul Hosn
Based: DIFC
Sector: FinTech — Innovation Hub
Employees: eight
Stage: pre-seed
Investors: pre-seed funding raised from family and friends earlier this year
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')