Allen Hamilton
What: English League Cup Semi-final First Leg
Who: Manchester City vs Liverpool
When: Wednesday 11th January, 2012, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Eastlands, Manchester, England
Brushing Off Cup Disappointment
Manchester City’s stormy weekend loss here to Manchester United ensured that the Citizens cannot retain the FA Cup they won last May. However, the nature of the defeat was such that manager Roberto Mancini did not consider it a defeat at all. A questionable performance from referee Chris Foy saw City consistently come out on the wrong end of decisions and defender Vincent Kompany harshly sent off. Kompany’s appeal against a four-match ban was also turned down, further adding to the "us against the world" siege attitude that Mancini will be happy to build.
Out of the Champions League and now the FA Cup, the League Cup offers the Citizens their only path to Wembley – it is one Mancini is keen to grasp. The Citizens boss though, despite seeing his side beat Liverpool comfortably 3-0 in the Premier League earlier this month, expects a tough game and one compounded by his side’s injury problems.
"The last game [against Liverpool] we played well, but we had a problem because Liverpool is a strong team and it is very difficult to play against them. Tomorrow it will be the same", said Mancini. "The difference is that tomorrow we’re missing some important players, but we want to try to have a good result."
With the second leg to come at Anfield, the Citizens will want a decisive victory along the lines of their earlier Premier League victory over Kenny Dalglish’s men. That though will be tougher than ever with key players set to miss out.
Doing It The Hard Way
With no European football this season, Liverpool have been forced to look to the cups for their chance of silverware. Despite over £100M spent in the last year, Dalglish’s side remain well off the Premier League title pace. A cup run and trophy could spark resurgence for a club unused to prolonged glory droughts – a fact of which Dalglish will be well aware.
Still hurt from how Liverpool, in his view, failed to get their just desserts after matching City blow for blow but losing out on a clinical cutting edge, Dalglish must hope his strikers can take their chances at Eastlands, despite Luis Suarez sitting out the game due to his suspension. Much of the burden for shooting down the Citizens may lie with a former City star, Craig Bellamy. And he is relishing the opportunity.
"This is why you play for Liverpool and this is what it brings", said the self-confessed Liverpool fan, going on to point out that the Reds will be well-prepared. "We are very fortunate these days that we get to see so much football and we know a lot about every Premier League team, so we know a lot about City.
"I am fortunate to have played for them so I have an insight into certain players that were there."
Recent form
Manchester City:
Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City (01/01; Premier League)
Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool (03/01; Premier League)
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (08/01; FA Cup)
Liverpool:
Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle (30/01; Premier League)
Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool (03/01; Premier League)
Liverpool 5-1 Oldham (06/01; FA Cup)
Key absences
Manchester City: Mario Balotelli (doubt); David Silva (doubt); Yaya Toure (international duty); Kolo Toure (international duty); Vincent Kompany (suspended); Edin Dzeko (doubt)
Liverpool: Luis Suarez (suspended); Lucas Levia
Players to watch
Manchester City – Gareth Barry: Back from suspension, Barry should have the fresh legs which many of his City team-mates may lack after an exhausting encounter with Manchester United at the weekend. The engine room will be a key battleground, with Steven Gerrard desperate to dominate – Barry must win the war.
Liverpool – Martin Skrtel: Keeping City from scoring, or at least scoring too many, will be crucial to Liverpool’s chances of progressing in this tie. A repeat of the 3-0 loss would make the second leg virtually pointless. Skrtel can help ensure his side are in with a shout at Anfield.
Match Prediction
Manchester City may show some signs of tiredness here and injuries weigh heavily on what is, now, a thinly spread Citizens squad. Even so, it is unlikely Liverpool will leave Eastlands with a clear lead. A score draw looks the likeliest outcome. Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool.
