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Match Preview: LIVERPOOL vs Man City

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Man City vs Liverpool

Tensions may not be as high tonight but Liverpool will be determined to overturn Sunday’s result

Kick-off: 20:00
Venue: Anfield

Liverpool will take on Manchester City at Anfield tonight in what is effectively an immediate chance for revenge for Jurgen Klopp and his players against they side they narrowly lost to in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday.

Sure, there won’t be a nice piece of silverware at the end of the game for either side but three points for Liverpool will ensure that a serious dent is put in City’s title hopes, which is about as much as Klopp’s side can probably hope for in the Premier League this season.

But coming so soon after a final that ran into extra time and penalties, it’s hard to guess what sort of side either manager will go with. And while Liverpool had to endure a day less in the build up to the final, Pellegrini’s side will have a Saturday afternoon kick off ahead of them, whereas the Reds will have an extra day following tonight’s fixture.

How that will figure into either managers selection is anybodies guess but it’s unlikely that both clubs won’t field very strong teams.

For Liverpool, new injuries have ensured that both Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho could be unavailable tonight, whilst Dejan Lovren is probably still out with illness. The usual suspects are still out as well, but we could see the return of Martin Skrtel to the team. The biggest concern for Liverpool are the rumours that Daniel Sturridge may have a slight strain, after cramping up so much he wasn’t able to take a pen in the shootout.

Klopp will likely make a change or two to the side that played in the final on Sunday, with a number of players no doubt still feeling the effects of such a tense and lengthy occasion. Full-back Alberto Moreno is many fan’s favourite to make way in favour of Jon Flanagan this evening.

For City things look a lot more healthy, with Yaya Toure the only addition to their injury list. The Ivorian may have to undergo a late fitness test to be available for the game but is just as likely to sit the match out.

Pellegrini’s side will no doubt be buoyed by their victory on Sunday, but Liverpool more than matched tonight’s visitors and can feel hard done by in losing in such a harsh way.

The match is a difficult one to predict, with the pressure entirely on a City side given a slight boost after Leicester’s draw with West Brom last night. For Liverpool, three points would be a welcome consolation but are not expected so the slight ‘underdog’ status could play into Klopp’s hand at this stage in his Reds career.

The game will be live on BT Sport 1 tonight from 19:15 GMT.

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I'm a 32 year old Liverpool fan, living in the heart of the City Centre. I've supported the club since the day I was born and have been writing articles for L4L for over 3 years, writing close over 350 articles in that time. My favorite player of the past generation is Sami Hyypia.

I am the current editor for L4L, with my day job being in R&D for the NHS.