Manchester City vs Liverpool: Three key battles that could decide Etihad title clash

Where could Thursday's top-of-the-table clash be won and lost?

Oleksandr Zinchenko vs Mohamed Salah

When Manchester City and Liverpool’s likely starting line-ups are compared player-for-player, there is arguably only one mismatch and it falls in the favour of the visitors. It is no secret that left-back is an issue for City while Liverpool’s most lethal attacking player is most likely to occupy their right flank.

That is not to be too critical of Oleksandr Zinchenko, the 22-year-old who is likely to deputise for the injured Benjamin Mendy and the suspended Fabian Delph as a makeshift left-back. Naturally a winger, the Ukrainian has filled in at the back on several occasions over the past year and with largely positive results, though rarely in a game of this magnitude.

There is added attention on the Ukrainian, too, after his sluggishness led to Southampton’s equaliser on Sunday. Guardiola hailed Zinchenko’s response to the mistake as “one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen”, as he had set up Sergio Aguero for City’s third minutes later. “I said to the players at half-time: ‘Learn from Zinchenko today, guys,’” Guardiola revealed.

Yet he will be wary of the fact that if Mohamed Salah is at anything approaching his best, Zinchenko is surely in for the most testing evening of his young career to date. The more experienced Danilo could be preferred, but he appears equally vulnerable given that he has just three Premier League appearances to his name thus far this season. Could City’s problem position be their undoing?

Raheem Sterling vs Andy Robertson

The story of this rivalry’s growth over the last few years is the story of Raheem Sterling and his acrimonious 2015 move from Merseyside to Manchester. Sterling has excelled at City in the years since, particularly under within the last 18 months, though he is yet to put in a notable performance against his former employers.

Sterling has scored or assisted against Liverpool in eight appearances, while he has completed 90 minutes in only one of the last five meetings. The nadir was perhaps in a 3-0 defeat in February 2016 when, on his first return to Anfield, he was withdrawn at half-time having been dominated by Jon Flanagan.

His opponent on this occasion will be Andy Robertson, perhaps the finest full-back in the Premier League over the past year. Robertson shut Sterling out so well at Anfield in the league meeting last season, Guardiola kept decided against starting Sterling when City returned in European competition.

Sterling is a far better player than his performances against Liverpool, when observed in isolation, suggest. If he can reproduce the form he has shown against almost every other Premier League club since moving to the Etihad, then City’s hopes of defending the title and keeping their crown will be lifted.

Fernandinho vs Roberto Firmino

City’s dependence on Fernandinho was the straw many clutched at in pre-season while trying to find a weakness in the reigning champions, but his absence in the surprise defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester City last month confirmed how important the Brazilian is to making this team tick.

His return to the side against Southampton was a timely boost. Though the likes of John Stones and Ilkay Gundogan can play as Guardiola’s ‘No 6’, neither are as effective as Fernandinho, whose ability to cover, protect and create has facilitated City’s fluid attacking play over the past two years.

The question is, at 33-years-old, how long can he keep doing it? And is he being offered the pressing protection he needs by City’s forwards? Recent underlying statistics have suggested not and overwhelming an overworked Fernandinho would greatly improve Liverpool’s chances of victory.

Roberto Firmino, while either playing as No 10 or dropping deep from his central striker position, will be key to that. Firmino has rarely reached the heights of last season so far this campaign, with a handful of sub-par performances largely going under the radar, but an gradual upturn in form was followed by a hat-trick last time out against Arsenal.

If the likes of Firmino and the roving Georginio Wijnaldum can put Fernandinho under pressure and win possession deep in City territory, then Liverpool should easily be able to trouble Guardiola's increasingly vulnerable defence.