Manchester City vs Liverpool: City Must Recover or Face Potential Collapse

The two-club race at the top of the Barclay's Premier League continues to puzzle.

Tied at 45 points in 19 games played, neither Manchester United nor Manchester City want to let up. However, wanting and doing are two very different things.

City looked unstoppable up until Dec. 12, when they finally fell in Premier League play to Chelsea. They rebounded with two wins but then slipped up again, earning only a draw with West Brom before suffering an ugly 1-0 defeat late in the game at the hands of Sunderland.

Today they get back on the pitch and must recover against a Liverpool squad chasing a top four spot.

If not for Blackburn's miraculous win over United, the Citizens would be in even worse shape.

They'll see their rivals again in only five days time when they host the Red Devils at Etihad Stadium in Round 3 of the FA Cup.

The match won't matter for Premier League play, but City are defending FA Cup winners and certainly won't want to fall to United.

City then takes on Liverpool again in the semifinals of the Carling Cup.

Needless to say, they have a tough run in front of them immediately, and today they cannot afford to let this slide continue today against the Reds.

Liverpool has been far from a goal-scoring machine this year, but they are still a dangerous squad.

Manager Roberto Mancini knows this, but can he do something about it?

David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Mario Balotelli were not on the pitch at the Stadium of Light, but they're expected to be back today. If their presence doesn't boost City's play, then they're in trouble.