Liverpool v Man City: Recovery

Liverpool kick off for the first time at Anfield this Premier League season tomorrow as they welcome the defending champions to Merseyside following a 3-0 defeat to West Brom on Matchday 1.

Choices, choices and Choices
Brendan Rodgers will have a slight selection crisis on his hands come the encounter later on today. He will have Suarez, Gerrard and Johnson back after leaving them out of the Europa League squad from mid-week and potentially Enrique returning from injury.

Sahin will not feature in this game, although Moroccan winger Assaidi is available for selection (cup tied in mid-week). Daniel Agger will sit out his 1 match ban after Liverpool decided against appealing against his dismissal against West Brom last week.

This leaves Carragher, Coates and potentially Martin Kelly to fight for the place in the heart of the defence alongside Martin Skrtel. Despite playing in mid-week, Carragher is likely to be fielded, given the fact that Coates has not seen a minute of action in Rodgers’ Liverpool so far and remains unlikely to play in a high profile game against Manchester City.

Otherwise, you would think that the lineup should remain roughly the same. Probable lineup:

Reina

Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Enrique

Gerrard, Lucas, Allen

Downing, Borini, Suarez

Man City will be missing the services of striker Sergio Aguero, however, in Balotelli, Dzeko, Tevez and co. Mancini still has a competent strike force that Liverpool will have to do well to deal with if they are to get a result.

Recovery
Liverpool need to get a point on the board against Manchester City before they fall too far off the pace, as with games against Arsenal and Manchester United to come in the next few weeks, Liverpool will have to grind the result.

A win against West Brom last week would have put Rodgers in a more comfortable position, but now Liverpool must really click and take their chances when they come, otherwise, our season might just be over before it has really got going.