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Played
August 23, 2010 8:00 PM BST
City of Manchester Stadium
Referee: Phil Dowd
August 23, 2010 8:00 PM BST
City of Manchester Stadium
Referee: Phil Dowd
Premier League Preview: Manchester City - Liverpool
By Jamie Dunn
City hope to open account
'Super Mario' came to Manchester City's rescue on Thursday night in Romania, but there wasn't a single moustachioed, red-dungaree-sporting plumber in sight. It was Mario Balotelli, City's latest big money striker, who came off the bench against Timisoara to save his new team the slight embarrassment of returning to England without a first leg advantage in the Europa League.
It took 72 minutes for Roberto Mancini's side to break the deadlock on Thursday and before that, 90 had passed without a goal at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur. At this early stage of the season one goal from two games is hardly drought material but, given the money spent by Mancini in the summer, it wont be long before critics are asking questions of the Italian's acquisitions.
Mancini has conceded it could take a few weeks for City's star-studded lineup to gel and become a genuine force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, but the former Inter boss will be hoping to set the wheels in motion with a victory at Eastlands on Monday.
Taking the rough with the smooth
It has been a week of ups and downs for Liverpool; on the pitch they carried the momentum of a draw with Arsenal on the opening day into a midweek Europa League meeting with Trabzonspor where they came out on top thanks to a solitary goal from Ryan Babel, though a one-goal lead could prove difficult to hold on to with the notorious Turkish crowd breathing down their necks.
Joe Cole misses the trip to Eastlands and missed a penalty on Thursday night to round off a disappointing week for him, while Chinese businessman Kenny Huang pulled out of a takeover that would have seen the club free of the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and Alberto Aquilani will be in Italy on Monday ahead of a loan move to Juventus.
Two players who look likely to stay with the club are Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt, though. Both had been linked with a move to Inter, but manager Roy Hodgson believes the Italian champions will not move for the pair. It is a massive boost for the Reds, who will be keen to prove the City revolution will not prevent them from returning to the top four, and what better way to do that than with a win on Monday night?
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City
James Milner could make his debut for City after completing his switch from Aston Villa this week, but fellow summer signings Aleksandar Kolarov and Jerome Boateng are injured, while Wayne Bridge is also a doubt.
Mario Balotelli looks likely to recover from the knee problem that saw him limping after his first appearance against Timisoara in midweek and could start.
Possible Starting XI: Hart; Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Zabaleta; Yaya Toure, De Jong; Milner; Tevez, Balotelli, Silva.
Liverpool
Roy Hodgson rested a host of first team players on Thursday who are likely to return to the starting lineup, including Javier Mascherano, who could return after a calf injury. Daniel Agger, however, is struggling with concussion.
Fernando Torres may also get his first start of the season after appearing as a second half substitute against Arsenal and Trabzonspor. Joe Cole begins a three-game suspension after his red card against the Gunners.
Possible Starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio; Mascherano, Poulsen; Kuyt, Gerrard, Jovanovic; Torres.
'Super Mario' came to Manchester City's rescue on Thursday night in Romania, but there wasn't a single moustachioed, red-dungaree-sporting plumber in sight. It was Mario Balotelli, City's latest big money striker, who came off the bench against Timisoara to save his new team the slight embarrassment of returning to England without a first leg advantage in the Europa League.
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It took 72 minutes for Roberto Mancini's side to break the deadlock on Thursday and before that, 90 had passed without a goal at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur. At this early stage of the season one goal from two games is hardly drought material but, given the money spent by Mancini in the summer, it wont be long before critics are asking questions of the Italian's acquisitions.
Mancini has conceded it could take a few weeks for City's star-studded lineup to gel and become a genuine force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, but the former Inter boss will be hoping to set the wheels in motion with a victory at Eastlands on Monday.
Taking the rough with the smooth
It has been a week of ups and downs for Liverpool; on the pitch they carried the momentum of a draw with Arsenal on the opening day into a midweek Europa League meeting with Trabzonspor where they came out on top thanks to a solitary goal from Ryan Babel, though a one-goal lead could prove difficult to hold on to with the notorious Turkish crowd breathing down their necks.
Joe Cole misses the trip to Eastlands and missed a penalty on Thursday night to round off a disappointing week for him, while Chinese businessman Kenny Huang pulled out of a takeover that would have seen the club free of the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and Alberto Aquilani will be in Italy on Monday ahead of a loan move to Juventus.
Two players who look likely to stay with the club are Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt, though. Both had been linked with a move to Inter, but manager Roy Hodgson believes the Italian champions will not move for the pair. It is a massive boost for the Reds, who will be keen to prove the City revolution will not prevent them from returning to the top four, and what better way to do that than with a win on Monday night?
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City
James Milner could make his debut for City after completing his switch from Aston Villa this week, but fellow summer signings Aleksandar Kolarov and Jerome Boateng are injured, while Wayne Bridge is also a doubt.Mario Balotelli looks likely to recover from the knee problem that saw him limping after his first appearance against Timisoara in midweek and could start.
Possible Starting XI: Hart; Richards, Kolo Toure, Kompany, Zabaleta; Yaya Toure, De Jong; Milner; Tevez, Balotelli, Silva.
Liverpool
Roy Hodgson rested a host of first team players on Thursday who are likely to return to the starting lineup, including Javier Mascherano, who could return after a calf injury. Daniel Agger, however, is struggling with concussion.Fernando Torres may also get his first start of the season after appearing as a second half substitute against Arsenal and Trabzonspor. Joe Cole begins a three-game suspension after his red card against the Gunners.
Possible Starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio; Mascherano, Poulsen; Kuyt, Gerrard, Jovanovic; Torres.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Manchester City 1-2 Liverpool
- 16.98 %
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Manchester City 0-2 Liverpool
- 12.61 %
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Manchester City 0-1 Liverpool
- 9.16 %
| Carling Cup (CCUP) | 25 Jan 2012 | Liverpool 2 - Manchester City 2 |
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| Carling Cup (CCUP) | 11 Jan 2012 | Manchester City 0 - Liverpool 1 |
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| Premier League (EPL) | 3 Jan 2012 | Manchester City 3 - Liverpool 0 |
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| Premier League (EPL) | 27 Nov 2011 | Liverpool 1 - Manchester City 1 |
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| Premier League (EPL) | 11 Apr 2011 | Liverpool 3 - Manchester City 0 |
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Manchester City
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| 13 May 2012 | Manchester City 3 - QPR 2 | EPL |
| 6 May 2012 | Newcastle United 0 - Manchester City 2 | EPL |
| 30 Apr 2012 | Manchester City 1 - Manchester United 0 | EPL |
| 22 Apr 2012 | Wolves 0 - Manchester City 2 | EPL |
| 14 Apr 2012 | Norwich City 1 - Manchester City 6 | EPL |
Liverpool
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| 13 May 2012 | Swansea City 1 - Liverpool 0 | EPL |
| 8 May 2012 | Liverpool 4 - Chelsea FC 1 | EPL |
| 5 May 2012 | Liverpool 1 - Chelsea FC 2 | FA |
| 1 May 2012 | Liverpool 0 - Fulham 1 | EPL |
| 28 Apr 2012 | Norwich City 0 - Liverpool 3 | EPL |
|
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| 25 | Joe Hart | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Micah Richards | Defender |
| 28 | Kolo Toure | Defender |
| 4 | Vincent Kompany | Defender |
| 6 | Joleon Lescott | Defender |
| 7 | James Milner | Midfielder |
| 18 | Gareth Barry | Midfielder |
| 42 | Yaya Touré | Midfielder |
| 34 | Nigel De Jong | Midfielder |
| 11 | Adam Johnson | Midfielder |
| 32 | Carlos Tevez | Striker |
| 1 | Shay Given | Goalkeeper |
| 21 | David Silva | Striker |
| - | Patrick Vieira | Midfielder |
| 5 | Pablo Zabaleta | Defender |
| 32 | Shaun Wright-Phillips | Midfielder |
| 10 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Striker |
| 27 | Jo | Striker |
| 25 | José Reina Paez | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Glen Johnson | Defender |
| 23 | Jamie Carragher | Defender |
| 5 | Daniel Agger | Defender |
| 37 | Martin Skrtel | Defender |
| 14 | Milan Jovanović | Striker |
| 21 | Lucas | Midfielder |
| 8 | Steven Gerrard | Midfielder |
| 18 | Dirk Kuyt | Striker |
| 9 | Fernando Torres | Striker |
| 24 | David Ngog | Striker |
| 1 | Bradley Jones | Goalkeeper |
| 6 | Fabio Aurelio | Defender |
| 16 | Sotirios Kyrgiakos | Defender |
| 11 | Maxi Rodríguez | Midfielder |
| 28 | Christian Poulsen | Midfielder |
| 10 | Ryan Babel | Striker |
| 24 | Dani Pacheco | Striker |
| James Milner | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 7 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
James Milner will undoubtedly garner the lion's share of the attention on Monday. Unlike City's other summer signings, Milner is used to the pace of the Premier League and has already scored during this campaign, for Aston Villa on the opening day.
| Fernando Torres | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 9 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
Fernando Torres is in line for a start at Eastlands having gathered some valuable playing time over the past week.
With Joe Cole suspended, Steven Gerrard could well adopt a more attacking position behind the Spanish international, rekindling a partnership that has proved to be so fruitful in the past.
With Joe Cole suspended, Steven Gerrard could well adopt a more attacking position behind the Spanish international, rekindling a partnership that has proved to be so fruitful in the past.
25 
2 
28 
4 
6 
7 
18 
42 
34 
11 
32 
25 
2 
23 
5 
37 
14 
21 
8 
18 
9 
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Results
Times In BST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie
Striker Arsenal |
30 | 2 |
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Wayne Rooney
Striker Manchester United |
27 | 6 |
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Kun Agüero
Striker Manchester City |
23 | 3 |
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Aiyegbeni Yakubu
Striker Blackburn |
17 | 4 |
|
Emmanuel Adebayor
Striker Tottenham |
17 | 3 |
