Liverpool vs. Manchester City: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
London's Wembley Stadium hosts the first major cup final of the 2015/16 season in England on Sunday afternoon, as Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool take on Manchester City, with Manuel Pellegrini playing out his swansong ahead of his summer departure.
Klopp's former Bundesliga adversary Pep Guardiola is set to take over at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, so Pellegrini will be desperate to secure silverware in his final campaign in charge of the Citizens.
City defeated Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Hull City and Everton to reach the final, while Liverpool booked their place following victories over Carlisle United, Bournemouth, Southampton and Stoke City.
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For both managers, this represents the first opportunity to secure silverware this season, and while their motives may be different, both Klopp and Pellegrini will push for the best performance possible from their respective sides at Wembley.
But who will win out and take out the League Cup trophy? All eyes will be on Wembley on Sunday.
Date: Sunday, 28 February
Time: 4.30 p.m. GMT / 11.30 a.m. ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK only) / beIN Sports USA (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK only) / beIN SPORTS CONNECT (U.S. only)
Form Lines (Last 5 Games)
Liverpool: D-L-W-D-W
Manchester City: W-L-L-L-W
Team News
Addressing reporters at Liverpool's Melwood training complex on Friday afternoon, Klopp revealed a welcome selection headache, as a number of previously sidelined stars returned to first-team training before the Reds travelled to London.
Adam Lallana, Joe Allen, Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren are all fit after battling injuries and illnesses, and as reported by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, Klopp believes selecting a squad for Sunday will be "the most difficult thing" he's had to do thus far at Liverpool:
"There have been a few problems since I've been here but this is the first time there's been an issue with too many players.
Making a squad for the final is the best thing I could do but also the most difficult thing I've had to do until now.
A few players will be disappointed by the decisions. Today I had 30 players in training and it was at the highest level. They are all ready and I have to make decisions.
"
The returns of Lallana, Allen, Skrtel and Lovren leave only Kevin Stewart, Jordan Rossiter, Joe Gomez and Danny Ings on the treatment table, and Klopp can field a full-strength lineup on Sunday.
City, meanwhile, have a handful of first-team players on the sidelines, most notably £54 million club-record signing Kevin De Bruyne, but Pellegrini will be buoyed by the recovery of some high-profile names, including backup striker Wilfried Bony.
Bony, Jesus Navas and Eliaquim Mangala are all available for selection after injury, and Vincent Kompany, Raheem Sterling and Bacary Sagna are expected to feature after BBC Sport-reported "recovery sessions" following Wednesday night's 3-1 win away to Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.
De Bruyne, Samir Nasri and Fabian Delph remain unavailable, leaving Pellegrini with few options when selecting his midfield.
Predicted Lineups
With Klopp set to go all out to seal his first piece of silverware since arriving at Liverpool in October, the German is likely to name his strongest starting lineup for the trip to Wembley.
This should see just one change to the side that won 1-0 at home to FC Augsburg in the Europa League on Thursday night, with Kolo Toure replacing Lucas Leiva.
Simon Mignolet will keep his place in goal, and Nathaniel Clyne, Mamadou Sakho and Alberto Moreno should join Toure in defence, shielded by a two-man midfield of Emre Can and Jordan Henderson.
Supported by industrious ex-City man James Milner, Klopp will be relying on the attacking quality of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge to put City to the sword.
Pellegrini's team selection has been the subject of much debate in the buildup to Sunday's final, with the Chilean's persistence with backup goalkeeper Willy Caballero in domestic cup competitions—despite a dismal performance in City's recent 5-1 FA Cup defeat to Chelsea—causing concern among supporters.
Cabellero is set to keep his place, but Pellegrini is likely to field strong lineup otherwise despite his continued push for success in the Premier League and the Champions League.
This should see Sagna, Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi fielded in defence, with Gael Clichy or Aleksandar Kolarov taking up the left-back slot. Fernando and Fernandinho are likely to mirror Can and Henderson's roles in a 4-2-3-1.
Behind the majestic Sergio Aguero in attack should be Sterling, Yaya Toure and David Silva.
Likely Liverpool XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Sakho, Moreno; Henderson, Can; Milner, Firmino, Coutinho; Sturridge.
Likely Manchester City XI: Caballero; Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho; Silva, Toure, Sterling; Aguero.
Players to Watch
Jordan Henderson
Henderson is the only player likely to feature in Klopp's Liverpool side on Sunday to have played in the Reds' last cup success—2012's penalty-shootout win over Cardiff City, also in the League Cup.
Captaining his side at Wembley, the former Sunderland man is determined to make his mark, as he told the Guardian's Andy Hunter on Friday:
"You will always be judged as a Liverpool player but, as a captain, you will be judged on what you win, basically.
If you’re doing well and the team is winning everything, you become a very good captain.
At the other end if you’re not playing so well, if you’re not winning trophies, you will be judged differently. I knew that before I took on the role.
"
In muted form in recent weeks, Henderson will be looking to produce an influential display as helps Liverpool recreate their previous League Cup triumph.
Raheem Sterling
Sterling left Liverpool in a deal worth £49 million last summer, joining City in search of sustained success at the top level of European football.
As he returns to the area he grew up in, against his former club, the onus is on the 21-year-old to prove his worth to City as they look to secure their first trophy of the season, as Pellegrini told reporters, including Goal's Sam Lee, on Friday:
"If we win a couple of titles and Raheem has an important performance it will be a good season for him. I don’t think it's good to analyse his season in this moment.
He has done good things, bad things and was very important the other day.
"
He is a very young player so must improve every year. If you ask me if I'm happy to bring him here this year then yes, I am very happy. He continues to improve and give a lot of things to our squad.
Sterling's performance against Kiev on Wednesday showcased his talents emphatically, and he will hope to reproduce this against the Reds.
Key Battle
Raheem Sterling vs. Nathaniel Clyne
Sterling's raw pace and intelligent movement saw him penetrate the Kiev defence throughout City's 3-1 win at the Olimpiyskiy, assisting David Silva's first-half strike with a low ball across the box following a burst into space.
This will no doubt be a key feature of City's attack against Liverpool, as Pellegrini's side looks to break quickly and flood the Reds penalty area with overlapping runs.
If Sterling is deployed on the left flank on Sunday afternoon, Clyne will need to provide Klopp with stability at right-back.
Odds
Liverpool: 12-5
Manchester City: 13-10
Draw: 31-12
Odds via Oddschecker and correct at time of writing.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.
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