Mehdi Benatia :State is reason why he snub man utd for Al Duhail

Mehdi Benatia :State is reason why he snub man utd for  Al Duhail

Mehdi Benatia says he has faced criticism over his decision to snub Manchester United to sign for Al Duhail, but the Moroccan defender says he did so in order to raise his family in a Muslim country.

 Manchester United pegged Benatia as one of several winter targets, but ultimately fell short as the Juventus defender turned down an offer to move to England.

Benatia, who has also featured for Roma and Bayern Munich, says he understands the criticism of his move away from Europe, but hopes that critics and his national team coaches can understand the logic behind his move.

"I faced criticism from the Moroccan sports critics after moving to Doha but I want everyone to respect my decision because it was the best for me and for my family,”

Manuel Pellegrini is adamant West Ham can beat Premier League leaders Liverpool

 Manuel Pellegrini insists that his side can defeat liverpool

Manuel Pellegrini is adamant West Ham can beat Premier League leaders Liverpool when the two sides play each other at the London Stadium this Night Football .

 Pellegrini We want to beat Liverpool. We cannot play on nerves because they have top players who can change the game at any time.

"We need to play at a high pace like we did at home to Arsenal and Manchester United and other clubs, and  Of course we can beat Liverpool today because every team can win every match in the Premier League.

Players absent 

Marko Arnautovic could be fit to face Liverpool despite fears he had suffered a broken foot in midweek.
 Lukasz Fabianski (arm) and Aaron Cresswell (hamstring) also hope to be available, but Samir Nasri is still missing with a minor calf problem.

However, Jack Wilshere, Fabian Balbuena, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini, Winston Reid and Carlos Sanchez are long-term absentees.

As for the visitors, Liverpool midfielder James Milner returns from suspension and is likely to be asked to fill in at right-back as Alexander-Arnold continues his recovery from a knee problem.