Man City vs Liverpool Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man + Prediction

Manchester City entertain Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium tonight in the first clash between two title rivals this season.

City pipped the Merseysiders to the Premier League title last season by just two points and the games between the two clubs proved crucial, with Manuel Pellegrini’s men winning 2-1 at home and Liverpool 3-2 at Anfield.

The Citizens kicked off the new campaign with a 2-0 win at Newcastle thanks to goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero, and Pellegrini will be desperate to maintain their 100% start to the season with a win over their rivals this evening.

Liverpool also got off to a winning start with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Southampton with both Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling on the score-sheet, and a positive result tonight would give Brendan Rodgers encouragement for the season ahead.

Many have wondered how the Reds will cope without Luis Suarez but Brendan Rodgers has made some impressive signings this summer and is on the verge of signing City old-boy Mario Balotelli from AC Milan, with the Italian expected to be in the stands tonight.

Team news

Manchester City will continue to be without new signing Eliaquim Mangala as he’s not considered match-fit yet following his big-money move from Porto earlier this month.

Pablo Zabaleta is expected to start at right-back while Sergio Aguero could also come in to the starting eleven after coming off the bench to score last weekend.

However, Alvaro Negredo is out with a foot injury while on-loan midfielder Frank Lampard is likely to be among the subs.

Liverpool welcome new signings Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno in to the squad. Markovic is likely to be on the bench but Moreno is in-line to make his debut at left-back with Glen Johnson possibly moving across to the right side.

Adam Lallana is back in training following a knee injury but isn’t in contention just yet, while Jose Enrique, Daniel Agger and Jon Flanagan all remain sidelined.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

David Silva: The Spaniard dictate’s City’s fluency in attack and Liverpool will need to keep him quiet if they want to take anything away from the Etihad tonight.

Prediction

Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool: Both sides will be desperate not to lose this game and we can see it ending in a stalemate.

What team would you pick for the game and what’s your predicted score? Share your views below.