1. Expect goals
IF EVER A game was unlikely to end in a 0-0 draw, it’s surely this one. Both teams came close to breaking the Premier League goalscoring record last year, with each exceeding the 100-goal barrier and City scoring 102 goals to Liverpool’s 101.
And Brendan Rodgers has done little to dampen speculation that both teams will play with an emphasis on attack.
Asked if he expected the game against City to be cagey, the Liverpool manager replied: “I don’t think so.
“If you look at both sets of players, there’s lots of invention and creativity in the team. I think both will be creative and want to score goals.
“We know we need to be compact and solid when we haven’t got the ball, and we need to be aggressive and press well.
“We know we have the freedom, movement and pace that can hurt teams. We understand it’s early on, but it’ll be a good game for sure.”
2. Will Rickie Lambert start?
A little unfairly, many critics appeared to have written off Rickie Lambert before he even started his Liverpool career.
The £4 million summer signing did, however, make a decent start to his Anfield career, coming on to help Liverpool claim a late win against Southampton last week.
Prior to Lambert’s arrival on the field, the Reds looked unusually laboured in attack aside from a brilliant piece of link-up play between Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling for their first goal.
The striker’s sheer presence and physicality created a nervousness in the Saints defence that helped turned the tide in the Reds’ favour, and even if Mario Balotelli does sign as expected, the 32-year-old is an excellent alternative to the abundance of pacey, technically accomplished players that Brendan Rodgers’ side already possess in their attack.
Moreover, with almost 30 goals in the last two Premier League seasons, he does far more than simply hold the ball up, possessing no shortage of skill and finishing ability to boot.
Playing both Lambert and Sturridge in attack would undoubtedly be a risk tonight, but Liverpool must do something extreme to improve on their largely below-par display at home to Southampton last week.
3. Can Liverpool overcome City’s home hoodoo
(Sergio Aguero scored for City against Newcastle last week)
Man City were particularly formidable last year at the Etihad — winning 17 of their 19 games there and losing just once (against Chelsea).
They also boast an enviable recent record at home to Liverpool, and are unbeaten in their last five matches against them at the Etihad Stadium.
Conversely, Rodgers’ side have shown convincing away form recently, going unbeaten in nine matches — seven of which they won.
With both sides looking less than impressive in picking up victories last week amid the sense that many of their players are still recuperating from the World Cup, the outcome is certainly not easy to predict. The bookies have City at 5/6 with Liverpool at 16/5, while a draw is 11/4.
4. Will the Reds’ defence curtail in-form Dzeko?
The Bosnian international has been doubted before after some indifferent form, however he’s certainly come good of late.
With Sergio Aguero recovering full fitness after his World Cup exploits, he would normally be expected to automatically come back into the team for such a big game.
However, with five goals and an assist in his last five appearances, dropping Dzeko from the starting lineup would be an extremely harsh decision.
He didn’t score last week against Newcastle of course, but he did assist David Silva’s opener with an exquisite backheel.
And assuming he starts, handling the big Bosnian will be a considerable challenge for Liverpool’s defence, even though they did look considerably more assured compared to last season during Dejan Lovren’s first competitive game for the Reds the other week.
5. Can Sturridge inspire Liverpool?
Amid all the talk of Luis Suarez leaving, the potency of Liverpool’s other main man, Daniel Sturridge, appears to have been somewhat overlooked.
While he could not match Suarez’s 31 goals in 33 appearances last year, 21 in 29 appearances (coupled with 10 goals in 14 for Liverpool the previous season) suggests the England striker is more than capable of compensating for Suarez’s absence.
In addition, the 24-year-old has more goals than any other Premier League striker in 2014 with 14 (even including Suarez, who is joint second with 12).
City’s back four were rarely tested against a defensive-minded Newcastle last Sunday, but with an ageing Martin Demichelis likely to start again tonight, City must ensure he doesn’t get left one-on-one with Sturridge too often. Otherwise, the nervousness that was evident initially in the Argentine’s City career (before his gradual improvement) may recur once again this evening.
Additional reporting by AFP
