For the second time already this year, Manchester City and Liverpool will clash at the Etihad Stadium. The Blues hammered the Merseyside Reds 3-0 in both sides’ latest meeting. Midfielder Gareth Barry received a second-half red card but Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and James Milner all inscribed their names on the scoring sheet as the visitors produced virtually nothing from their huge time of ball possession.
This result helped Manchester City strengthen their authority at the top of the table despite the challenges posed by second-placed Manchester United and third-placed Tottenham Hotspur. The gap between City and Liverpool is currently of 14 points in the English Premier League but this statistic will probably not count during the Carling Cup semifinal tie.
After all, both Liverpool and Manchester City have had their positives and negatives lately. The Merseyside Reds can be proud of the performance they put in against Oldham in the FA Cup at the weekend. The Citizens must be wary of that.
Likewise, Liverpool should fear the fury of Manchester City. The latter have open wounds from their narrow and controversial defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup Third Round. Mancini and his men are facing two conditions: to bounce back and regain momentum or to blow their chances of winning the double this season.
Manchester City vs Liverpool is the first of this two-legged tie. In the other Carling Cup semi-final encounter, Cardiff City and Crystal Palace will battle it out. One of these two teams will make it to the final of the tournament.
Get live streaming and TV schedule info on Manchester City vs Liverpool and Crystal Palace vs Cardiff City.
