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Liverpool and Manchester City will square off with the League Cup trophy on the table and both clubs will be eager to add some silverware in this final. Interestingly, the two sides will meet again after just three days in the Premier League.
Liverpool is on the back of a 1-0 win over Augsburg, qualifying to the Europa League round of Last 16 after two rather unconvincing performances. ‘Pool has been inconsistent lately, but two positive factors can be taken from the last few matches – they kept a clean sheet in the last three outings and they haven’t lost in the previous five matches. That being said, this League Cup final might just be the most important match of the season for Klopp’s side and ‘Pool will surely be fired up to claim the trophy.
Manchester City defeated Dynamo Kiev 3-1 in the Champions League a few days ago, City’s first win after three consecutive defeats in all competitions. Pellegrini’s side hasn`t played well since it was announced that Guardiola will take over in the Summer and the defensive play has been particularly worrying. City allowed 11 goals in the last 4 matches.
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Team news & lineups:
Both teams will field their best available lineups and there are not many new injuries / suspensions to worry about. Skrtel, Lovren, Lallana and Allen might not be fit enough to start, but they could feature for ‘Pool. The same situation involves City’s Bony, Mangala and Navas.
Liverpool: Mignolet – Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Moreno – Henderson, Can, Milner – Firmino, Coutinho, Sturridge
Man City: Hart – Zabaleta, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy – Fernando, Fernandinho – Silva, Toure, Sterling – Aguero
Listen, Manchester City will surely want to add some silverware today, but you have to feel that Liverpool might “want it more”. City also has the Premier League to worry about and if they were to choose, they will surely opt to get three points against ‘Pool three days from now in the league, as opposed to winning the League Cup. We saw how much City cared about the FA Cup when they sent the youngsters to London in a 1-5 defeat to Chelsea one week ago.
City will care more about a final, for sure, but at this level a 5% percent difference in effort can make all the difference. We saw that in the last two Community Shields, when Arsenal defeated superior, but less motivated teams like Chelsea or Man City.
All in all, my tip will be Liverpool to lift the trophy. They surely have what it takes to defeat City, as they proved in the only previous H2H meeting this season – a 4-1 road win for Liverpool in Klopp’s early days in charge, late in November. And, at the moment, they actually look a bit more stable than City. A bet on goals might also be a good idea, as the H2H between these two sides is full of high scoring matches, but I will stick with Liverpool to win the trophy. Prediction: Liverpool – Manchester City 2-1.
Pick: Liverpool to win the League Cup
Odds: 2.30 @ Unibet
Stake: 6
Possible profit: 7.80
Event date: 28 February
