Liverpool vs. Manchester City: 5 Bold Predictions for Premier League Game
Liverpool welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday in a hugely important Premier League tie for both sides, with the Reds looking to further their top-four hopes and City to gain on league-leaders Chelsea.
City currently sit second in the league, five points off Chelsea, while Liverpool lie in sixth, with just three points between them and third-placed Arsenal.
The Citizens ran out 3-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium in this season's previous league clash, but this encounter more resembles last season's 3-2 loss in the same fixture in terms of importance.
For managers Manuel Pellegrini and Brendan Rodgers, this is a must win.
Here are five bold predictions for Sunday's clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Vincent Kompany to Prove City's Achilles' Heel Again
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A perennial figure when it comes to considering end-of-year lists and XIs, Manchester City centre-back Vincent Kompany has suffered an alarming drop-off in quality over the past two seasons.
This culminated in a disastrous scuffed clearance in last season's loss to Liverpool, gifting Philippe Coutinho a 78th-minute winner.
Kompany has continued this miserable run this term, with former Reds striker Luis Suarez benefiting from a similar error to grab his opening goal in City's 2-1 loss at home to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
With Kompany struggling, and Liverpool's system fielding a pair of central attacking midfielders behind a lone striker, this could be an area to watch on Sunday.
The 28-year-old could falter under the combined pressure of Coutinho, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge.
Liverpool's Rested Players Will Prove Key
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Enduring extra time and a penalty shootout in Thursday night's loss away to Besiktas will have frustrated Rodgers, with the manager consistently stressing the importance of coaching time between games.
"Our problem and the issue we have which we need to find the solution for is our lack of coaching time," Rodgers told James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, during Liverpool's Champions League run.
"Take this week, we played Wednesday night, the players physically recover on Thursday, and that leaves us with only a short period of time on the training field before we’ve got the game on Saturday."
Replace Wednesday for Thursday and Saturday for Sunday, and it's the same situation at this juncture.
Further decreasing the coaching time between the loss to Besiktas and Sunday's clash with City, Pearce reported via his Twitter account that Liverpool's flight back from Turkey was delayed.
With just 56 hours between the plane landing and Sunday's kickoff, Rodgers' coaching time is slim.
Happily, however, Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Lazar Markovic and Mamadou Sakho all sat out of Thursday's loss with a mixture of fatigue, injury and suspension, and should return on Sunday.
Liverpool will need these rested players firing if they are to defeat City, and the quartet could be key.
James Milner to Put in Shop-Window Display for Potential Future Employers
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At present, City midfielder James Milner will see his contract expire at the end of the season, and Stuart James of the Guardian reported last month the club "are running out of time" to secure his future.
The No. 7 has been in great form in recent weeks, with two goals and an assist in his last five games, and Milner will not be short of offers if he decides to leave Manchester in the summer.
The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe suggested Liverpool would be interested in a recent discussion with AnfieldHQ (h/t This is Anfield), claiming: "It’s a very difficult situation for him at Manchester City—he doesn’t play every week—and if he’s available I’m sure Liverpool will be in for him."
It could well be that a match-winning performance at Anfield on Sunday would seal Liverpool's interest in the soon-to-be free agent.
Wilfried Bony to Haunt His Summer Suitors
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New City man Wilfried Bony could have been a Liverpool striker this season, reports claim.
As Chris Wheeler of MailOnline revealed in December: "Liverpool were prepared to activate the £20m buyout clause in Bony’s contract last summer but his £100,000-a-week wage demands proved to be too much of an obstacle."
Instead the Reds opted for £16 million man Mario Balotelli, whose wages stand at £80,000 per week, according to Andy Hunter of the Guardian.
Bony scored nine league goals in 20 games for Swansea City before his January move to City, while Balotelli has managed just one goal in 13 Premier League games.
The Ivorian could be in line for his first start for the Citizens on Sunday and could haunt his former suitors.
Sergio Aguero to Outfire Daniel Sturridge
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In Sturridge and Sergio Aguero, Liverpool and City possess two of the Premier League's finest goalscorers.
Last season, Sturridge scored 21 goals, while an injury-hit Aguero managed 17.
Both returning from respective layoffs in recent weeks and nearing full fitness, the spotlight will be on Sturridge and Aguero in this high-profile clash, but one is in much better form than the other at present.
In his last five games for the Reds, Sturridge has scored just one goal and made one assist, with a lacklustre performance away to Besiktas on Thursday underlining his recent struggle for form.
Meanwhile, Aguero has scored four goals and made two assists in his last five games, and is reaching peak form.
Both will be integral to their side's chances on Sunday, but Aguero is more likely to shine.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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