Liverpool and Manchester City will go face-to-face for this season’s first shot at silverware in the final of the Capital One Cup at Wembley Stadium.
The Sky Blues have lost three of their last four games, the only win coming after an impressive display against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League round of 16. Liverpool, on the other hand, have won just twice this month, thrashing an abysmal Aston Villa side and also managing to beat Augsburg to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League . Both teams might not be at their best in recent weeks, but form and stats do not matter in a cup final.
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Key Battle – Kolo Toure/Mamadou Sakho vs Sergio Aguero
With Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren still not match-fit, Liverpool’s centre-back pairing of Mamadou Sakho and Kolo Toure have received their fair share of criticism in the recent past. Ex-City man Toure will once again go head-to-head with his former employers and a clean sheet will do the Ivorian a world of good. The Reds have kept the opposition scoreless just one in the five games that the 34-year-old has started in the league. Sakho will also need to put in a solid defensive performance on Sunday, if he wants to cement his place in the Liverpool starting XI.
But it will not be easy at all for the defenders as they will come up against an in-form Sergio Aguero. The Argentine talisman has scored in all but two games that he has featured in this year, leaving him with 10 goals in 2016 already and 19 overall this season. The 27-year-old was outstanding in Kyiv, putting in a man-of-the-match performance and one would have to be brave to bet against the Argentine getting on the scoresheet on Sunday as well.
Team News
Jurgen Klopp will have a reduced squad to pick from following injuries to Joe Allen, Joe Gomez, Danny Ings and Skrtel. Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren might just be fit enough to make the matchday lineup.
City also have a fairly long list of players who will likely miss the trip to Wembley. Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Jesus Navas, Kevin De Bruyne and Samir Nasri are all out of contention for Sunday’s clash.
Head-to-Head
The league cup final marks the 203rd meeting between the two sides in all competitions, of which Liverpool have a large upper-hand. The Reds have won on 99 occasions, while the Citizens have only claimed the bragging rights 52 times. There have been 51 draws between the two.
Previous Meeting
The sides last met in November this season in the League, when City were humbled by a dominant Liverpool in a 4-1 thumping at the Etihad. City have beaten the Reds just three times in the last 10 meetings.
Prediction
The Sky Blues do look like the stronger of the two sides and arguably the more likely team to come away with victory. But if the past has thought us anything, is that you do not write of Liverpool in a cup final, period. One can expect goals in this one as the stage is set for a tight encounter at Wembley. Jurgen Klopp will look to lift his first trophy in England, while it might just be Manuel Pellegrini’s last.
Liverpool 2 Manchester City 1
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