Pre-match: Manchester City v Liverpool | 1600 3-Feb-13

 

  v
 Manchester City v Liverpool
 1600 | Etihad Stadium
 Official: Anthony Taylor

 
 Both Liverpool and hosts Manchester City come into the 25th fixture of the Premier League campaign on the back of draws. City with a scoreless affair with bottom-dwellers QPR, while Liverpool let slip a two-goal lead at the Emirates as Arsenal battled for a 2-2 draw.
 
 In the reverse fixture, the two sides met at Anfield in the second match of the season, with defending champs equalizing against the Reds twice. In that match, Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez scored their first goals of the league campaign, while City equalized through Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez
 
 This fixture is looking more like a "must-win" for Manchester City as they sit 7 points behind league leaders Manchester United. City's 52 points and second place standing in the table are contrasted with the Merseyside outfit, who currently sit in 7th on 35 points.
 
 City have enjoyed scoring goals this season: Edin Dzeko leads the team with 10 goals, while Sergio Aguero has 8 and Tevez has 7 goals. Tevez has assisted his teammates 7 times, while David Silva has set-up 5 goals.
 
 For Liverpool, the continued play of Suarez has been a joy to watch. The Uruguayan added another goal to his tally midweek, bringing him to 17 goals in the Premier League this season -- a six-goal improvement from his finally tally last season with 14 more matches remaining. Suarez recently came out and said he plans on remaining with the Reds next season even if they don't qualify for the Champions League.
 
 "I will wait until the end of the season and see how we are doing," he told the Daily Mail. "We won't know until then how we are doing and what our position is so I am prepared to wait until that time. But I want to say now that, if you want to know what will happen to me if we don't qualify for the Champions League, then I will say this: I have a contract with Liverpool and I am very happy here. I will stay."
 
 One player to keep an eye for Liverpool is vice-captain Jamie Carragher. The Academy product has featured in manager Brendan Rodgers' side the past two league games, with Skrtel relegated to the bench.
 
 On the opposite end of the age spectrum is Jordan Henderson. The England u21 captain has scored two goals and notched two assists in the past 5 league matches for the Reds. Against Arsenal, the 22-year-old assisted Suarez's opener and doubled Liverpool's lead in the 60th minute.
 
 As for City, they'll be without two of their big players in Toure and Vincent Kompany. Toure is away on international duty with the Ivory Coast in the Cup of Nations, while Kompany has a calf strain. The club also sold striker Mario Balotelli to AC Milan in the January window.
 
 Regarding Liverpool's injuries, assistant manager Colin Pascoe confirmed leftback Jose Enrique should be fit, while new boy Philippe Coutinho -- purchased from Inter Milan in January -- remains unavailable.
 
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  Post your lineups and what not.
 
 
 

Glad that Toure & Kompany are missing for them.

Still, a big, big task to take anything from here.

Can see a similar game to Arsenal and a similar result occuring, we'll give a decent account of ourselves against the top end clubs and probably not get a win for it.

Just how the season has panned out so far, hopefully this will be the time to change it.

Massive game after dropping points at Arsenal

Sterling for Downing (assuming he isn't spending time with the police following his assault charge)

I'd also have Allen as Left Back (at Melwood, not on the bench)

Id consider 3 5 2 here. Get to grips in midfield. Get Dannt to play as a spare at the back with his ability on the ball. Without the ball we become a 5 3 1 1 always leaving Sturridge up for his pace on the counter. Both our full backs can attack so no problem with them playing this formation.

No Carra for me. Cant see his legs up for 2 tough away games in 3 days

                 Reina

      Wisdom Agger Skrtel

Johnson Lucas Henderson Enrique

                  Gerrard

        Suarez            Sturridge

Money on Sturridge to win it at his old club!       

I'd go with something similar Brian. I'd play it like this though:

Reina
Skrtel    Carragher     Agger
Johnson         Lucas        Gerrard         Enrique
Henderson
Suarez     Sturridge

But, I think we'll probably go with the same team as vs Arsenal, only difference will be Enrique at LB and Johnson at RB.

gotta take our chances early and keep it solid. play with more pride and confidence than ever and we will get three points.

i feel 3-4 to LFC. why not

Big game for us.  Win, and the result at the Emirates looks good.  Draw or lose and we will find ourselves a long way off a realistic shot of finishing in the top 4....

What I'd like to see is clearly not going to happen because of BR's affinity for the 4-3-3, but I'd go 4-4-2 with a diamond in the middle.  Pack the middle of the pitch to minimize the threat of Silva, Aguero, Tevez, and Nasri.  Force City to push Zabaleta and Clichy up field to provide width in attack, but that will leave them susceptible to a quick counter as their CB's are not particularly pacey. 

I'd like: 

                 Pepe
Johno  Skrtel  Agger  Enrique
   Gerrard  Lucas  Hendo
                Shelvey
       Suarez       Sturridge

I think we'll see:

                 Pepe
Johno  Skrtel  Agger  Enrique
         Gerrard  Lucas
Downing    Hendo     Borini
                 Suarez

Hoping/praying for a win here.  Going to be optimistic and say we will just edge it 2-1.

I'd go with something similar Brian. I'd play it like this though:

Reina
Skrtel    Carragher     Agger
Johnson         Lucas        Gerrard         Enrique
Henderson
Suarez     Sturridge

But, I think we'll probably go with the same team as vs Arsenal, only difference will be Enrique at LB and Johnson at RB.

My reason for Agger as the centre of the 3 is because Id have the other 2 operating as the "out and out" centre halves with Danny there to cover them plus he could be free to join in the midfield.

Wisdom for me over Carra as I cant see Jamie having the legs for 2 tough trips in 3 days and young Andre has the makings of a powerful centre half power and pace to burn 

Just get out there REDS and get the 3 points,we gave them a point at Anfield in August(like Arsenal the other day). No slipups no dodgy back passes to Reina,go out there and outclass them.

My reason for Agger as the centre of the 3 is because Id have the other 2 operating as the "out and out" centre halves with Danny there to cover them plus he could be free to join in the midfield.

Wisdom for me over Carra as I cant see Jamie having the legs for 2 tough trips in 3 days and young Andre has the makings of a powerful centre half power and pace to burn 

I'm not sure how Carra's legs will do. I think that because it's such a big game, he'll be raring to go personally. It is a legit concern and one I understand of course.

If he's fit to go, I'd play Carra in the middle so he can organize the back line, which he's better at than Agger. I think Carragher will sit the deepest, so that will give Agger or Skrtel a bit more freedom to move up, which is Dagger's game anyway.

Actually Id possibily drop Stevie back with Lucas and play Shelvey off the front 2 with Jordan dropping to the bench

I can see us winning this one with Toure and Kompany out.
I think we can get at them if we mark Silva closely.

We should be able take points from them.

Kompany will not play, so they will play Nastasic and lescot i guess. Being both of them are left footed i really feel Suarez will get a lot of joy against them.
One thing i fear is they may play Dzeko by seeing how we strougled against big CF's this season. Plus they have pretty good set piece takers and tall players like Garcia, Lescot,Dzeko. I really don't want to see another goal conceded through set pieces.
Going for a 1-0 win with Suarez scoring Hendo assist

I'd go with Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Allen, Gerrard, Henderson, Suarez, Sturridge.

I think without Toure and Kompany they are there for the taking, but I do worry about the quality they have up front and with Suarez for the first time looking very weary and heavy legged against Arsenal in the second half I think we may struggle to break them down, while I don't think they will have any such problem breaking us down.

I would take a point now

Hopefully Lucas can mark Silva out of the game. Though, I do worry about their two strikers movement, we've proved many times this season that our defence just gets lazy and let strikers roam free in the box.

Need full concentration - we need Carra definitely.

Feeling pretty optimistic about this game Man City have been looking pretty shaky lately I just hope we go in with a nice "fighting" spirit and not the "Ooh I don't think i'll bother" attitude we have been known to see in a certain few players. We could easily win this. Come on you Redmen!!! 

Same starting team again against Shitty for me (tho possibly Jose in for Wisdom)

I would go with Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Suarez & Sturridge.

Hopefully Coutinho will be on the bench and maybe get a run out too.

Just Jose in for Wisdom for me.

Would be disappointed if we didn't come away with at least a point here to be honest.

No chance I'd bring Skrtel in. They'll surely start Tevez and Aguero and if that's true we need intelligent defending. Organization. Carra for me starts as he will keep us organized.

Would consider playing Diego's lineup as well, packing the midfield. We need to start winning in the midfield.
             

Good time to play city, a little out of form and missing key players, come on reds