Prediction: Liverpool vs Manchester City

24th January 2012

Liverpool are on the verge of clinching their place in the Carling Cup final after the 1:0 victory at Etihad, but they cannot afford to relax just yet, especially after yet another under-par performance in the Premiership. Manchester City remained at the top of the league standings with a hard-fought victory over Tottenham, and the Citizens will try everything to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg.

Just when it seemed that Liverpool had finally rediscovered their form after the slow start to the season and that they would be able to mount a serious top 4 challenge, the Reds have produced two very disappointing performances against Stoke and Bolton, and ended up taking just one point from the two games. The good thing is that after the 1:0 victory in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg, the Reds are on the verge of making it to the final, where they should have an easy job against either Cardiff City or Crystal Palace. However, Kenny Dalglish’s side first need to guard their one-goal advantage over Manchester City and that will be no easy task, judging by their recent displays. The Reds are clearly finding it hard to cope with the absence of Luis Suarez, especially as Andy Carroll cannot seem to rediscover his scoring touch, so we can expect another poor attacking performance from the hosts. Dalglish is expected to make some changes after the dismal display against Bolton, with Dirk Kuyt and Stuart Downing pushing for starting places.

Manchester City go into this game high on spirits after the very important Premier League victory over Tottenham, and the Citizens can feel optimistic before the clash with out-of-form Liverpool. Roberto Mancini’s side were somewhat lucky to beat Spurs at the weekend, after they had almost squandered a two-goal lead, with the game against fellow title contenders proving that City are far from the desired form at the moment. The hosts struggled to create chances in the first half and very not very dangerous up front, with the three scored goals much more than they deserved on the day. Mario Balotelli once again proved the match winner, scoring from the penalty spot deep into the injury time, but his outrageous stamp on Scott Parker has earned him a four-match ban that will see him miss the Liverpool clash. Vincent Kompany serves the last of his four-match ban, meaning that Stefan Savic is likely to continue at the back despite making several costly mistakes in the second period of the Tottenham game.

Conclusion

Liverpool will fully focus on guarding their one-goal advantage, and with serious attacking problems, that looks the only way to go. Manchester City are set to try and take the game to their opponents, but they could find it hard to score without Mario Balotelli.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: BetVictor