Telecast details
Channel – Star Sports
Date – Thursday, 3 March
Time – 1:30 am IST
Venue – Anfield
It has been just four days since these two giants met last and produced one of the most dramatic finals in league cup history. The memories of the final are still fresh among the Kop faithful as their team gears up to host Man City again in the mid-week premiere league clash at Anfield.
Klopp’s men showed tremendous character at the Wembley but lacked the finishing. The attacking flair in the diamond formation was evident throughout the second half and later into extra time. However, City were the better side on the night and took the Silverware.
The Reds are all geared up to give some payback and earn some glory for the fans. There is a sense of belief amongst the players as well as the supporters as they gear up to witness another spectacle.
Form
Although Liverpool make their way to this fixture following a defeat, but the key men are doing good in the recent games. Lucas Leiva was brilliant in the last match and proved his worth to the manager. Sturridge and Coutinho need to find that spark which has been missing due to the absenteeism of the forward. Firmino was not at his best in the last game but his form has been very good lately.
Build-up
Liverpool are currently placed 9th in the league standings – exactly 9 points behind their opponents who are placed 4th. A champions league spot is a tough ask but certainly not an impossible one. If we look at the previous meeting these two had, Liverpool dominated the entire match right from the proceedings and defeated City with a resounding scoreline of 1-4.
After the heartbreak at Wembley, Jurgen Klopp in one of his press conference clearly stated his intent and said, “We will strike back.” The skipper Jordan Henderson also showed a sense of pride for his fellow-mates and said, “We left everything out on the field”. The spirit and the morale is high and we can expect a commanding performance by the Reds in this fixture.
Predictions
It is very difficult to comment on the result of this one since both sides bring a lot of unpredictability looking at their recent form. But this game promises to bring a lot of attacking flair and will certainly not disappoint the neutrals. If we look at the past meeting between these two, Liverpool have an upper-hand over Manchester City. Nonetheless, we can expect a lot of excitement and drama at Anfield in this one.
