Capital One Cup Final 2016: Liverpool vs. Manchester City Odds, Key Players

The first meaningful piece of domestic silverware of the season goes on offer on Sunday with Liverpool and Manchester City set to battle it out for Capital One Cup glory at Wembley Stadium.

City last won the tournament two years ago under Manuel Pellegrini, and while Reds manager Jurgen Klopp will be experiencing his first cup final in England, Liverpool have a strong history in the competition, having won it a record eight times.

Here are the best odds ahead of the Wembley matchup, via Oddschecker:

Liverpool to Win	8-11
Manchester City to Win	13-10

Key Players

Yaya Toure

Manchester City took a huge step toward qualifying for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history with a well-deserved 3-1 win away to Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday. Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure all hit the mark to make life more comfortable for the Sky Blues ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 15.

The result should've also give the players a real confidence boost ahead of the Capital One Cup final after being preceded by three successive defeats, to Premier League title rivals Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur and a 5-1 mauling by Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Despite being a positive scoreline, City would have kicked themselves if they had only left the Ukrainian capital with a 2-1 win. Fortunately, Ivorian midfielder Toure produced a classic surging dribble and shot to put the game—and perhaps the tie—beyond any doubt.

The 32-year-old former Barcelona midfielder is capable of flashes of brilliance similar to this, as shown by his 24-goal haul in the 2013-14 campaign, per Soccerbase.

Unfortunately, during the past year, Toure has appeared unmotivated at times and produces that sort of magic with less consistency. He has scored far fewer goals in the league, netting just five this term compared to 10 and 20 in his previous two.

Pellegrini must urge his towering star to make the most of his dwindling career and enjoy the cup final if he is to play an important role against the 2012 League Cup winners on Sunday. 

Daniel Sturridge

For Jurgen Klopp, his first Capital One Cup adventure has seen him progress past the challenges of three top-flight teams in Bournemouth, Southampton and Stoke City. Liverpool needed penalties to seal their place in the final and have the chance to lift their first trophy in four seasons.

Central to their hopes of doing so will be the fitness of injury-prone star Daniel Sturridge. Back in the first team following a lengthy spell out, owing to several issues, detailed by Transfermarkt, the England international says he wants to prove himself to the supporters and has refuted suggestions he has lost his love for football.

Per David Maddock of the Daily Mirror, he said:

"

To say a player doesn’t want to play? That is the biggest disrespect ever you could say to any footballer. I think it is astonishing, it’s disappointing from whoever was saying it.

But it’s football. And, of course, people are entitled to their opinions. But all I can say is that I don’t think ­anyone will understand how much it means to me to play football.

"

Sturridge made his first league start for Klopp in their 6-0 away thumping of Aston Villa on Feb. 14. The former Man City player has netted three goals in his six appearances in the Premier League this season.

Both clubs are preparing themselves for a big season next term, with the impending arrival of Pep Guardiola in June exciting players and fans alike on the blue side of Manchester.

Meanwhile, for the Reds, Klopp will undergo his first full season in charge at Anfield. A cup success during this campaign could go a long way toward setting up either club for a successful period domestically and in Europe.