The midweek game will have to be put to the back of minds on Sunday as Manchester City try to continue their record breaking start to the Premier League season with a trip to one of their least successful grounds.
HISTORY
City have played Liverpool in the League 150 times in their history and have lost 50% of the ties. In fact we have only won 38 times although the most recent fixture between the two teams in which City won was last season, under Mancini. However that was at our own place and the return fixture resulted in a 3-0 Liverpool win. The last time City won at Anfield in a League game was all the way back on May 3rd 2003. Ex Liverpool player, Nicolas Anelka scored twice for City that day, once from the penalty spot which made our last two winning games against Liverpool seeing us score from the spot. Be excited if we get a penalty on Sunday!
There have been many losses to Liverpool over the years and they always seem to score multiple of goals against us while conceding few if any. We lost 3-0 last season and in Sept 2002 and also in March 1991. City fans will also remember the 6-0 hammering in our relegation season of 1995/96. That particular game came in October of that season but in the last game we played Liverpool again and despite going down to them we clawed back to get a 2-2 draw. Despite that great result we were still relegated, but only on goal difference.
Other than that there really isn't much statistically that we can get positives from as winning at Liverpool has not been our normal result over the past few decades. However there has been nothing normal about this season from City in the League so far either. Beating Everton, hammering Villa, Spurs and United have not been normal.
Other big losses against Liverpool have been 4-0 in 1974, twice in 1978 and again in 1983 and a 5-0 in 1983. But it hasn't always been negative results for City. In start of the 1974 season we beat them 2-0 at Maine Road but in both 1981 and in 1952 we travelled to Anfield and secured the win, 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.
For City fans to see when their team totally dominated Liverpool you would have to look back before the Second World War. In the year 1937 we beat Liverpool 5-0 at their place before a 5-1 win at Maine Road. Two years before that we enjoyed a 2-0 win there before a 6-0 win at our house.
The good news for City is that win, lose or draw we will still be top of the league and with Manchester United playing Newcastle some points will be dropped from teams close behind us. The other current top four side Tottenham face a difficult trip to West Brom.
TEAM NEWS
Liverpool will again be without Steven Gerrard for the visit of City, who also come off a difficult visit to Stamford Bridge last weekend. The Merseysiders themselves have been stuttering this season with wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton contrasting with draws against newly promoted Swansea and Norwich and a 4-0 defeat against Spurs! With no game midweek they will have had the chance to be rested but will also have one eye possibly on Tuesdays Cup game against Chelsea which could see them have their best chance for silverware this season.
Manchester City by contrast have been secure in their Premiership performances, winning all but one, which was a draw away to Fulham. Expect Clichy and Richards to return to the backline for City as Mancini will be eager to continue their attacking League play. Like Liverpool though they may have one eye on the Quarter Final cup tie only 48 hours later but Mancini has a squad he can rotate and so that should play into City's favour.
Written By: PA Cityboy (www.facebook.com/pacityboy)
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