Manchester City vs. Liverpool: Blues Will Recover from Sunderland Loss in Style

Those in charge of the Premier League's scheduling saw fit to start Manchester City's new year in frustrating style, scheduling matches against Sunderland and Liverpool just two days apart.

Sunderland benefited, defeating the Blues 1-0 on Sunday.

Liverpool won't be so lucky today. Boss Roberto Mancini fully expects his team to get back on track, according to ESPNsoccernet.

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"I hope it isn't going to be difficult to pick the players up after the defeat," Mancini said. "I hope they understand we are a top team and we can't concede goals in the last minute on the counter attack like we did at Sunderland.

"But it is finished and we have to think about the next game. I hope the players can have a positive reaction. We lost a big chance to go three points clear of Manchester United."

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City rested several players against Sunderland knowing they had a quick turnaround, and it backfired.

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"I changed six or seven players because I trust all my players to come in and do a good job," Mancini said. "It's impossible to play with the same players all the time, especially when you play twice in 48 hours."

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It's a vital match in City's quest to top the Premier League this season, though it shouldn't be understated that Liverpool desperately need the upset in their quest to qualify for the Champions League, especially given Arsenal's recent loss to Fulham. A win for Liverpool would tie them for fourth in the standings with Chelsea.

Still, Manchester City are expected to return David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Mario Balotelli to the pitch today, and perhaps more importantly, the team needs to squash any thoughts that their recent dry spell is a sign that the team is faltering down the stretch.

Poor Liverpool—with everything to gain today, they find themselves playing a better team with even more to lose. A motivated City squad will handle their business.

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