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Liverpool are set to travel to the London Stadium on Monday evening with Manchester City breathing down their necks after Pep Guardiola’s side returned to form against Arsenal on Sunday, and Marko Arnautovic’s fitness could be a determining factor as the Reds aim to extend their advantage in top spot.
What’s the word?
Arnuatovic and Xherdan Shaqiri are two players who made their names at Stoke City before moving on to bigger challenges.
The latter has established himself at a title-challenging club, with key performances this season pleasantly surprising supporters following his summer transfer.
Like the entirety of Liverpool’s starting line-up, Shaqiri was underwhelming and tepid in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City last week, but one anomalous performance should not take away from what has been an excellent season so far for the diminutive playmaker.
Ahead of the clash this evening, Shaqiri spoke to Liverpool’s official website about their title challenge and he spoke highly of his former teammate Arnautovic, who is a doubt for the game after suffering a foot injury against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.
“He is playing with his physicality, he is a strong guy,” he said. “He has a good shot and is a dangerous player against every team. But we have good defenders and I hope they will be able to deal with the threat. We need a good performance to try to win the game there.”
How significant will Arnautovic be in the title race?
Felipe Anderson may well have taken a touch of the limelight off Arnautovic this season but Shaqiri is absolutely right: the 29-year-old powerhouse is a huge danger man regardless of the strength of the opposition.
Even if the Austria international is ruled out through injury on Monday evening, there is no question that he could still have a huge say in this season’s title race.
Naturally, Manchester City supporters will be hoping to see Pellegrini’s talisman start at the spearhead of the attack to boost the home side’s chances of causing an upset against Liverpool.
Arnautovic has showcased his appetite for the big occasion in the past, most notably against Chelsea last season and Manchester United during the current campaign, and another big-game performance could be in the offing on Monday night if he’s available.
But West Ham still have to travel to Man City and Tottenham before the season reaches its conclusion, and the standard of his performances in those fixtures will determine his side’s chances of clinching a priceless result which, ultimately, could well shape the outcome of the title race as well. He certainly has the ability and big-game motivation to make a decisive impact.