Next: Liverpool (Home)

[zuricity]

Seriously guys ! Do what we do best. Keep the ball, win it back, let Samir do a niggly foul when needed, to stop them. Bobs yer uncle. Merry Christmas.

[MilnersJaw]

i'm looking forward to this match than christmas day.

christmas is overrated.

[dick dastardley]

We will do what we have been doing wallop the fuckers on our patch

[Blue Since 76]

Have a look at their away record. That should make you feel better. As impressive as the Spurs result was, they scored three when Spurs were down to ten and WHL isn't the fortress it was at the moment. Apart from that the dippers away form is worse than ours. We've only got to stop Suarez. Rodgers has to figure out how to stop our front 6. I know which problem I'd rather have.

You can't just pick two games they've won away, take them out and then say they're worse than us. You may as well remove any result against a team with West in their name.

Liverpool's away record is the sixth best in the league. However, the top 5, in order, are Spurs, Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle and the rags and everyone of them has a stain on their record. Time for us to piss on Liverpool as well.

[branny]

You can't just pick two games they've won away, take them out and then say they're worse than us. You may as well remove any result against a team with West in their name.

Liverpool's away record is the sixth best in the league. However, the top 5, in order, are Spurs, Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle and the rags and everyone of them has a stain on their record. Time for us to piss on Liverpool as well.

I haven't. Read it again, unless the two games you're referring to are spurs away and spurs away.

[Blue Since 76]

I haven't. Read it again, unless the two games you're referring to are spurs away and spurs away.

Oops, read WHL as another team! Point still stands though that if you remove that and one of our wins, their away record is still better than ours by a point.

[dazby]

8;2 Dzeko to score 5.

[branny]

Oops, read WHL as another team! Point still stands though that if you remove that and one of our wins, their away record is still better than ours by a point.

Point still stands that their away record isn't anything special. Our home form is. The five teams with better away records have all been soundly beaten at the Etihad. I don't expect Thursday to be any different.

[Whassat]

The scouse fans lean towards a win against us, judging by their forums. But I just can't see that. Not at home. Had it been away at Anfield, well...

There is no chance in hell we are going to treat this game lightly. Defensive woes or not, we are a lean killing machine at home.

I think Pelligrini is going to stick to the same lineup as vs Fulham. Right back is a problem, with both Zabs and Micah not available. Clichy clearly aint comfortable there - hope he can step up in the next game.

[Peter Doherty (AGAIG)]

I have a bad feeling about this one.

We have to keep scoring and sooner or later we'll have one of those games were it just won't go in.

Liverpool will test us much more than Arsenal due to them being fresh and us being 2 key men down.

Kompany and Nasty is critical. Please no Demi against The Biter....

I know what you mean. When we play a big team we always turn up but against a team that'll end the season mid-table we seem to look a bit suspect. Still, I reckon we'll win by 3 clear goals, minimum.

[dazby]

Looking forward to 50,000 fans doing the Yaya/Kolo song. It'll be brill!

[kinkylola]

fuck me! I've been going this whole week thinking it was an away game. No idea why. I was nervous as shit. Now i'm feeling totally confident and can't wait for matchday ... fuck christmas.

[blues2win]

I wouldn't play Negredo and Dzeko again. The problem is it invites a team to play a high line and squeeze the midfield just as Fulham did because they know that neither has the pace to get behind the defence. Also quite obviously we looked vulnerable down the flanks. I think Navas should play both to help out Clichy and to threaten with his pace so that Liverpool find it difficult to play so high up the pitch. I'd also play Rodwell or Milner on the left to allow Kolarov to bomb forward and put in crosses. This formation absolutely requires midfielders to be up or even beyond Negredo to stop him being isolated which means Yaya and Silva.I'm sure it can work.

[zuricity]

I wouldn't play Negredo and Dzeko again. The problem is it invites a team to play a high line and squeeze the midfield just as Fulham did because they know that neither has the pace to get behind the defence. Also quite obviously we looked vulnerable down the flanks. I think Navas should play both to help out Clichy and to threaten with his pace so that Liverpool find it difficult to play so high up the pitch. I'd also play Rodwell or Milner on the left to allow Kolarov to bomb forward and put in crosses. This formation absolutely requires midfielders to be up or even beyond Negredo to stop him being isolated which means Yaya and Silva.I'm sure it can work.

You are mixing things there. Just because Negredo and Džeko are playing doesn't mean the team plays with a high line. Whoever we play, it must be said, we spend most of the time in their half. That's about as high a line as you can get.

[kinkylola]

Agreed about Dzeko and Negredo. That is a failed experiment and we need to shelf it ... permanently.

I'd like to see us with 5 in midfield for this game, and I think that's also when we look the most stable. Maybe won't score 5 goals, but we won't let in 5 either ... and we could still score 3! does that put me into the results over entertainment category now?

[Hazy2]

Big game City 2-0.

[blues2win]

That didn't happen against Fulham. They were frequently in our half and they played a high line and squeezed our midfield. Silva found it difficult to get into the game. Surely it won't happen against Liverpool either. They'll get a fair bit of the ball with their quality. I just don't think Negredo and Dzeko are particularly suited to each other's game; I'd love to see Jovetic play off either preferably Negredo. However, he seems to be be injured yet again. It's never serious; it just seems to go on and on. Before the Leicester game he was sick then he had a minor strain. I hope he doesn't end up like poor old Bojinov who hardly played and then got sold.

[AG7]

Ho ho ho ... from Sky Sports:

Paul Merson's Prediction

I can only see one winner here. The bookmakers have got this horribly wrong as City should be 1/3 on as they are absolute certainties. City at home are phenomenal, while if you take Liverpool's great result at Spurs out of the equation, they got battered at Arsenal and well beat at Hull. I think they will get ripped apart by City.

Paul Predicts: City 4 - 1 Liverpool

Sky's full preview: http://www1.skysports.com/football/live ... 61/preview

[MilnersJaw]

That Shakespeare pub next to hmv on market street will have this on won't it?

[Tesl]

Well if Paul Merson says the bookies are making a mistake with the odds then who could possibly disagree :)

Though there is something about Paul Merson giving gambling advice that just doesn't feel quite right ...