City to shade clash of titans

MOUTHWATERING does not do it justice. There's not a bus in sight: just the two best teams in the Premier League going toe to toe for a place at Europe's top table.
Even if it were boxing, Don King would not be needed to hype this up: both Liverpool and Manchester City have enough star quality and style, both carry knockout punches, both have glass chins.
But when the draw was made, there was disappointment and frustration. Neither wanted to meet so soon, neither could be sure of getting through and even neutrals felt it was a feast best saved for the semis or even the final.
But now it's upon us, we can't wait. Jurgen Klopp has called for intensity from his players: asking the fans would be like asking an erupting volcano to up the lava levels.
Nights like this make Kopites thankful they stayed at Anfield. Any disadvantage of being at home in the first leg will be dispelled by putting the fear of God into the invaders from Manchester. Although they are not United, the welcome will still be hot enough to melt steel.
Whether Pep Guardiola's peerless pass masters will go weak at the knees is open to question. Many illustrious predecessors have and this will surely be the supreme test of City's mettle.
Favourites the visitors may be and a composite side would contain more City names than Liverpool but, as it says on that sign, this is Anfield. It is a European night and for 50 years since Bill Shankly lit the fuse, the atmosphere has done extraordinary things.
At the weekend, the two sides warmed up with widely differing performances against lesser mortals. Liverpool had to come from behind to beat Crystal Palace; City produced a masterclass that even had Evertonians applauding.
The other side of Stanley Park will see a very different story. Liverpool harbour a smouldering resentment at how their title drought has been prolonged by the rise of the nouveau riche clubs, City and Chelsea, and poke fun at plastic flags and the "Emptyhad" stadium.
Not even the Reds spending £25m more on a defender than any City recruit cuts any slack when City have spent far more in total since Sheikh Mansour's takeover.
They also forget how many "socialist" fans wanted to bring in their own mega-rich sheikh – the turf's Al Maktoum in Liverpool's case – both before and after Hicks and Gillett. But it still acts as motivation.
If Liverpool are a couple of top players short of a complete team, they are more than capable of winning a knockout competition. Indeed, many judges feel that Klopp's men could pose more problems for City than Barca, Bayern or Real and not just because of the Anfield factor.
The Reds have already beaten City once this season – the only team to do so in the league – and in Mo Salah have Europe's hottest player. Had Lionel Messi himself been signed he could not have made more impact than the Egyptian has with 37 goals. And City don't have a proper left-back.
Guardiola has managed to cover the loss of Benjamin Mendy with Aymeric Laporte the latest to be given the job. But if Liverpool can find Salah in space, he is their best weapon. Jose Mourinho, it has to be acknowledged, managed to snuff him out, but City will be too busy building attacks to bother.
Their gung-ho attitude is both a strength and weakness as it is high-risk, but we have seen their confidence is such they refuse to be fazed by the occasional blip. And if midfield is where games are won and lost, City have a decided edge.
Where Liverpool have journeymen in Jordan Henderson, Giorginio Wijnaldum and James Milner, City have magicians in David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne plus the ubiquitous Brazilian man-of-all-trades, Fernandinho.
City's passing can also turn a bear pit into a library as it did at Goodison on Saturday. Their confidence is supreme, their spirit high and they will take some stopping.
When it comes to injuries and upcoming fixtures, the clubs just about cancel each other out. Liverpool have Adam Lallana out again after just coming back as well as Joe Gomez, but have Nat Clyne coming back.
City will still be without Mendy and maybe Kun Aguero but have Gabriel Jesus fit and Raheem Sterling firing. However, he will be guaranteed a repeat of the special treatment that saw him withdrawn earlier in the season and crying for his mammy.
But on the other flank will be the lethal Leroy Sane. His finish at Goodison was one to behold and you wonder whether a still-callow Trent Alexander-Arnold or a rusty Nat Clyne, can cope with such electric running and finishing. At his best, the German is a young Ryan Giggs with more goals.
With Loris Karius still to totally convince and Van Dijk looking for a partner, neither defence is watertight. City will certainly need Vincent Kompany both for his leadership and organisation.
It's tough to call but even though the Reds will give City a hard time at Anfield, their extra class in midfield and passing carousel may well wear the Reds down in the end.
For what it's worth, here's a combined XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fernandinho; De Bruyne, Silva (D), Sane; Salah, Aguero.

Good, Bad and Stupid
GOOD: Spurs
The Wembley hex was imagined but the Stamford Bridge hex was all too real for Spurs. Twenty-eight long years had passed since Gary Lineker headed them to their last victory at Chelsea. But on Sunday they emphatically showed they are the best team in London. And well done, Dele Alli, much maligned here but credit where it's due.
BAD: Southampton
Not so long ago, Saints were a model club – fine academy and sensible recruiting: buying low and selling high. But a wrong choice of manager has led to a decline. With a tough run in, they look favourites to go down with West Brom. But the model was flawed - no one can survive by selling their best players every year if the replacements are not up to it.
STUPID: Empty-rates!
Arsenal announced a crowd of 59,371 for the Stoke game – just 500 below Emirates' capacity. Yet there were swathes of empty seats from the kick off that had to amount to tens of thousands. Yes, the tickets might have been sold and other clubs do it, but isn't it time this pretence was ended and the proper attendance on the day was announced?