Pellegrini to Keep Faith in Key Names as Man City Face Defining Title Test

After Manchester City’s defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday evening, which means they now have to go to the Camp Nou in less than three weeks’ time and score two goals to stand any chance of going through, the importance of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool in the Premier League takes on increased importance.

With Jose Mourinho’s side in League Cup final action on Sunday, City have the chance to close the gap at the top of the table to just two points. It would be a significant psychological step in their quest to overhaul the current leaders.

The Blues go to Anfield for the early Sunday kick-off knowing their opponents, who won the corresponding fixture last season 3-2, have had their preparations dealt a blow after their Europa League last-32 match with Besiktas on Thursday went to extra time and penalties.

Add to that a delayed flight back from Turkey, and the time Brendan Rodgers has to prepare his side for the game with City has been minimised.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Manuel Pellegrini, speaking at City’s CFA facility ahead of the game, admitted it was a situation which favours his team.

“I think that of course it is an advantage,” he said. “Not a decisive one because I always think the decisive thing is the performance on the day of the game.

“But I have played in the Europa League and when you arrive on Friday it is not the best way to prepare for a game on Sunday but that is the rules.

“They are playing Europa League. Maybe another time we prepare worse for the game.”

He also said Yaya Toure was fit and ready to come back into the side after serving the final game of his European suspension on Tuesday, and he gave skipper Vincent Kompany a vote of confidence when asked whether his current run of form was a concern.

The Belgian was culpable for both goals against Barcelona, and he has looked a shadow of his former self since returning from injury in January.

He looked lost in the defeats to Arsenal and Middlesbrough last month, with his positional play often erratic, leading to gaps for opposition strikers to exploit. It’s an uncomfortable situation for City, who have come to rely heavily on their captain in recent seasons.

“I always talk with the players about their level in private,” the City boss said. “I don’t analyse what they do to the media. You have maybe some opinions, I have another one so you have your opinion, I have mine. I always talk to the players in private.

“I think he is a great player.”

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Last season’s match between the two sides at Anfield was one of the most memorable in Premier League history, with two sides, at the peak of their powers, fighting aggressively for 90 minutes in what felt like a title decider.

It was also the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, creating an intense atmosphere inside the stadium. Liverpool raced to a two-goal lead, but City, led by David Silva, who gave one of the finest displays of his career in England, came back to 2-2.

Sergio Aguero was inches away from adding a third, before a mistake by Vincent Kompany led to Philippe Coutinho’s winner.

It felt seismic, a result to surely swing the title in Liverpool’s favour, but City’s late-season form saw them come from behind to win their second title in three seasons.

“It was a very special day also because it was the day when we remember what happened with their fans some years ago,’ said Pellegrini.

“It was a very emotional day. It was a very close game. We couldn’t win for different reasons. This year we go with the same mentality, to try to win and try to be an aggressive team and an attacking team from the beginning.”

Liverpool’s form this season has been patchy, underlined by their league position of sixth, but their displays since the turn of the year have been much improved. And City have perennially struggled at Anfield—they’re without a win in their last 11 Premier League trips there.

Pellegrini, whose own position has come under scrutiny this week after the defeat to Barcelona, was forthright in his view that Sunday’s match represents a huge moment in his side’s season.

“Yes of course it is important, more than psychologically it is important mathematically. We are going to have three points more, we are going to go two points behind Chelsea because they do not play the next game.

“It is very important to beat Liverpool because they are a strong team and a difficult stadium. And to continue winning in the Premier League in the way we did in the last two games because we won 4-1 and 5-0 against Stoke and Newcastle, and continue fighting until the end to retain the title because we have to play 36 points more.

“That is a lot of points and as soon as we close the gap it is better for us.”

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PELLEGRINI: We will try to attack Liverpool from the start of the game #MCFC

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 27, 2015"

With City out of both domestic cup competitions early, and with their Champions League involvement left in a precarious state, the need to close the gap on Chelsea and begin to make a charge toward retaining their title is of huge importance.

It’s becoming increasingly clear there has been little progress since last season, and Pellegrini’s position is likely to come under review in the summer. A trophyless season won’t help his cause in the boardroom.

It makes Sunday’s match one of the most important of the season. A defeat could well see their title challenge collapse; a win would alter the picture dramatically.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.