Sergio Gomez has vowed that he and his Manchester City teammates will be ready to take on Liverpool just four days after the World Cup Final.
City will return to competitive action on Thursday when they meet Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. The clash at the Etihad Stadium is a mouth-watering one, although it's unclear which of City's stars will feature.
Only two of the 16 City players that took part in the World Cup were involved in the Blues' 2-0 friendly defeat of Girona on Saturday. Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan both started at the Academy Stadium, but the other 14 were all absent.
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City's stars who weren't in Qatar were also involved, including Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Gomez. The trio were part of City's warm weather training camp in Abu Dhabi, but even if the majority of the squad weren't, Gomez believes they'll be ready for whatever Liverpool throw at them.
"The players that were in Abu Dhabi for the little pre-season had the opportunity to get ready for the upcoming games," he said. "For some other players there may be less time to prepare.
"We need all the players in our squad and when they are all back from the World Cup we’re hoping they will feel strong and be ready to play again. I feel ready to play and I am hoping to play an important role."
Liverpool did not send as many players to the World Cup, the most noticeable absentee from Qatar being Mohamed Salah. In theory then Jurgen Klopp's side will be better rested, but Gomez is more bothered about what he and his teammates do.
"Liverpool have many great players and everyone knows how strong they are. Playing against a team of this strength is a great thing about football in England but we’re focused on our game. We know that if we win we’re a step closer to achieving our goals in this competition."
City won the Carabao Cup four times in a row between 2018 and 2021, but it was Liverpool that won the competition last season by beating Chelsea on penalties at Wembley. City eliminated the London side just before the start of the World Cup, so if they are triumphant on Thursday they will be favourites to make it five League Cup triumphs in six attempts.
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