Manchester City will look to get back on form after their disappointing loss to Barcelona on Tuesday, with a visit to Anfield on the cards for The Blues. This will be City’s first trip to Liverpool since that day in April last year, when we thought all was lost in the race for the title – or at least some of us did.
Of course, that was the 3-2 victory for The Reds during their brilliant run of form in the latter months of last season. Sterling and Skrtel both scored first-half goals to give Liverpool a strong 2-0 lead before the break, and it looked like they would have an easy run from there. However, a David Silva goal then an own goal from Glen Johnson put City back on level terms, and they would likely have left with a point had Coutinho not scored the winner for Liverpool with a good finish a little over 10 minutes from the end. A month before the end of the season, that was a tough loss to take, but we all know what eventually happened by the 38th game.
In the game City have already played against Liverpool this season, we fared slightly better when The Reds visited Eastlands very early this season. A double from Stevan Jovetić – one before and one after half-time – and a goal from Sergio Agüero just 23 seconds after he came on as a substitute managed to give City a 3-1 win, with a Pablo Zabaleta own goal giving Liverpool a late consolation.
It looks like City have a full squad to pick from going into a big game at Anfield, with James Milner recovering from his injury in time to face the team who are reportedly chasing him if his City contract expires in the summer. Yaya Touré is likely to be back in the side after he was banned for the mid-week Barcelona, in which it was visible just how much the Ivorian was missed.
However, Liverpool are likely to be missing several players going into the visit from City. Whilst Glen Johnson (illness), Jordan Henderson (ankle) and Steven Gerrard (hamstring) are all expected to be back fit in time to face The Blues, José Enrique (knee), Brad Jones (hip), Jon Flanagan (knee) and Lucas Leiva (groin) are all expected to miss out. Mamadou Sakho, a player who was thought to be able to make it back in time, is also expected to miss out due to a hip injury.
Both City and Liverpool have had midweek European games to contend with going into this big game, although City probably have a slight advantage as a result. The game against Barcelona was on Tuesday and it was in Manchester, giving them a full two day’s extra rest than Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side, who faced Besiktas on Thursday. What’s more, Liverpool still have to make the trip back from Istanbul ahead of Sunday, and whilst they won’t be flying in economy class it could still take a toll on them. When the game goes down to the wire, those two days could make all the difference.
Potentially, this game could be huge for both teams, who both have very good reasons for needing to win. With Chelsea not playing due to League Cup commitments, City have the opportunity to close the gap on José Mourinho’s team to just 2 points, even if they are left with a game in hand. Liverpool also need a win in order to keep the pressure on United and Arsenal for their places in the top 4, with The Reds keen to maintain their qualification to the Champions League, having made a return this season, before exiting at the group stages. The importance of the fixture for both sides potentially makes it an extremely exciting one to watch.
