da casino： When Liverpool were drawn with Manchester City in the quarter finals of the Champions League, a sudden shift in mood was evident.
da apostebet： Talk of City’s potential treble was more muffled and the narrative that Pep Guardiola’s side was the best English football had ever seen stalled somewhat. People who thought that City were unstoppable now all of a sudden started to say “I fancy Liverpool here.”
They were right, as it turned out.
What had changed was the feel around City. They no longer seemed quite so invincible, and after a few injuries the sheen had come off slightly.
They are still a wonderful football team, though. And after a 3-0 win in the first leg of a Champions League quarter final – which would signal game over for most, if not all, other ties – this one still seems somehow alive.
That might be because Manchester City have won eight of their 14 home Premier League games by a margin of three or more goals – including against Liverpool in September. Or it might be because, well, if Liverpool can do it, why can’t the team 18 points ahead of them in the table?
Indeed, that same good vibe that many people had around Liverpool just before they played City on Wednesday night, some now seem to have around Guardiola’s team: ask anyone after a 3-0 first leg defeat and they’ll tell you it’s game over, but few have the same thoughts about next week’s match.
This weekend, both teams have derbies they probably wish were left until next weekend or later. Both City and Liverpool would surely love to go into a derby game wanting to win just because they want to beat their city rivals. And yet both could be forgiven for resting some of their players in derbies which – beyond the fact they’re derbies – don’t matter a great deal.
And yet the wounds are there: back in December, Sam Allardyce’s Everton managed a draw at Anfield in a game in which they deserved nothing but a sound thrashing. Resting Roberto Firmino saw Jurgen Klopp draw the ire of the media as well as some of his own fans.
That shouldn’t be happen this time if Liverpool are to play a weakened side – everyone knows what’s at stake on Tuesday night – but that doesn’t mean Klopp wasn’t bitten last time or will not be shy this time.
City not have nothing to lose. They are freed of expectation and inhibition and are in a mindset where they know that controlling the second leg and nicking three (probably four) goals to win the tie is their sole aim. And just as the mood changed around Liverpool before the tie started, the Reds have to ensure that mood doesn’t change and solidify in City’s minds on Tuesday night.
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