Prediction: Manchester City vs Liverpool

11th January 2012

Manchester City ran out easy winners when the two sides met in the Premier League a week ago, but they are expected to face a much tougher task this time. Carling Cup offers Liverpool the only realistic chance to winning a trophy this season, so the Reds are very motivated to record a positive result in the semi-final first leg at Etihad.

After the 3:0 victory over Liverpool saw City create a three-point advantage at the top of the Premiership table, the Citizens entered the FA Cup clash against Manchester United in good spirits, hoping to deliver their bitter rivals another major blow. Roberto Mancini’s side ended up losing the game, but they can be really proud with how they fared against the Red Devils, especially after Vincent Kompany was sent off in the early stages of the match. Having been eliminated from the FA Cup, the Citizens will give their best to try and qualify for the Carling Cup final, where they would have an easy job against either Crystal Palace or Cardiff City. Selection problems continue for Roberto Mancini as Vincent Kompany was handed a four-match ban, whereas Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and David Silva are all doubtful. Gareth Barry returns from suspension, but Kolo Toure and Yaya Toure are away on international duty.

Liverpool have shown a lot of improvement following the somewhat poor start to the season, but inconsistency remains the main issue for Kenny Dalglish’s side. It is more than clear that this squad have yet to gel properly, although the Reds certainly look better than at the start to the season. Luis Suarez’s eight-match ban came at the worst possible time as Steven Gerrard had just returned into action, but the good news is that Craig Bellamy and even Andy Carroll are scoring goals on regular basis. Unlike his counterpart, Kenny Dalglish managed to rest most of his starters at the weekend, which should give his side a small advantage over the opponent, so we can expect the Reds to try and score at least one goal at Etihad. Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Jose Enrique, Stuart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson return after being rested against Oldham Athletic, but Luis Suarez is still unavailable.

Conclusion

I believe that we will see a much closer game than the one played just a week ago, mostly because Liverpool should be in better shape, but also because City could be without several very important players. With both sides looking to create an advantage before the return leg, my advice is to bet on both teams to score.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: bet365