Etihad Stadium
Kick-off: 12.30pm SL time
Referee: Michael Oliver. Matches: 1, R0 Y3.
Cast your minds back to last season, with one of the closest title races in history poised to go down to the wire, Liverpool welcomed Manchester City to Anfield, both had the title in their sights. A Philippe Coutinho strike in a 3-2 victory for the Reds in that game looked to have tilted the title in their favour, however a Steven Gerrard mistake and a merciless City run of form in the remaining games meant the title slipped from Liverpool’s grasp and ended up in the hands of Manuel Pellegrini’s team.
This is only the second match of the season yet there is the potential double reward of a title rival being defeated plus crucial momentum achieved. As the deal for Mario Balotelli was not done in time for the forward to be available for Liverpool, Manchester City must surely fancy their chances of finishing Monday evening with all three points, especially as only Alvaro Negredo and Eliaquim Mangala are unavailable to Manuel Pellegrini.
Filling the void left by Suarez will be difficult and Rodgers will be desperate not to fall into the trap Tottenham did last season when they tried to replace Gareth Bale with quantity in terms of players, instead of quality. Having said that, Liverpool have splashed the cash this summer, ransacking Southampton for Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren, as well as signing Alberto Moreno, Emre Can and Lazar Markovic from the continent.
Summer signings Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno are in contention to make debuts in Liverpool's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Monday. Fit-again winger Markovic and defender Moreno, recruited last week from Sevilla, are both set to be included in the squad for the match but fellow summer arrival Adam Lallana's wait to make his bow definitely goes on, with the midfielder not quite ready yet as his rehabilitation from a knee injury nears its conclusion. Jose Enrique's condition will be assessed, while Daniel Agger, Jon Flanagan and Oussama Assaidi remain sidelined.
Summer signings Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno are in contention to make debuts in Liverpool's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Monday. Fit-again winger Markovic and defender Moreno, recruited last week from Sevilla, are both set to be included in the squad for the match but fellow summer arrival Adam Lallana's wait to make his bow definitely goes on, with the midfielder not quite ready yet as his rehabilitation from a knee injury nears its conclusion. Jose Enrique's condition will be assessed, while Daniel Agger, Jon Flanagan and Oussama Assaidi remain sidelined.
As both teams prepare to square up for the season’s first big clash, a defeat would not be terminal for either side this early into the season. However, Liverpool will be desperate to extract revenge for last season, while Manchester City will be hoping to build some early season momentum to carry into their autumn fixtures.
PAST MEETINGS…
Liverpool 3 (Sterling, Skrtel, Coutinho) Man City 2 (Silva, Johnson OG), Premier League, April 2014
Man City 2 (Kompany, Negredo) Liverpool 1 (Coutinho), Premier League, December 2013
Man City 2 (Dzeko, Aguero) Liverpool 2 (Sturridge, Gerrard), Premier League, February 2013
STATS…
Man City full backs Aleksandar Kolarov (7) and Pablo Zabaleta (6) assisted more goals than any other defenders in the 2013-14 Premier League.
Frank Lampard is the top scoring midfielder in Premier League history with 171 goals, more than Aguero, Dzeko, Yaya Toure and David Silva combined.
City’s total of 102 goals last season in the Premier League is the second highest in the competition’s history (behind Chelsea with 103 in 2009-10).
Liverpool fired in 258 shots on target last season, more than any other team in the Premier League.
Daniel Sturridge’s goals won Liverpool 20 points in the Premier League last season; more than any other player for their side.
