On Sunday February 28, the first trophy to be won in England takes center stage in Wembley as Manchester City and Liverpool contest the 56th League Cup final. Kick off time is 16:30 BST.
Both teams have won the competition in recent years, Liverpool winning in 2012, while Manchester City were victorious in 2014.
Liverpool’s opponents’ enroute the final were Carlisle United, AFC Bournemouth, Southampton and Stoke City, while Manchester City had to get past Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Hull City and Everton on their way to the final.
Klopp targeting SilverwareThis game represents a very good chance for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to get his hands on some silverware in his first season in England. The charismatic German manager suffered heartache at Wembley in 2013, losing the Champions League final to Bayern Munich.
The Reds, come into this game in good form, with two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five games in all competitions. These wins were against Aston Villa in the league (0-6 on February 14), and Augsburg in the Europa League (1-0 on February 25).
The 2012 League Cup winners could only manage to draw their league game against Sunderland (2-2 on February 6), and their Europa League game against Augsburg (0-0 on February 18). They suffered defeat at the hands of West Ham United in the FA Cup (2-1 AET on February 9).
Manchester City best chance of a titleManchester City’s assault on four fronts has taken mortal blows recently, as back to back defeats in the league has left them 6 points off the top, while they crashed out of the FA Cup to rivals Chelsea. A win in this game will at least ensure they have some silverware to parade to their fans this season.
The Citizens, managed by Manuel Pellegrini are in poor form, with two wins and three defeats in their last five games in all competitions. These wins include a league win against Sunderland (0-1 on February 2), and a Champions League victory against Dynamo Kyiv (1-3 on February 24).
The 2014 League Cup winners lost back to back league games against Leicester City (1-3 on February 6), and Tottenham Hotspur (1-2 on February 14). They were also dumped out of the FA Cup by Chelsea (5-1 on February 21).
Talisman Daniel Sturridge is back to fitness and his manager will be hoping he finds the back of the net against a suspect Manchester City defense. Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping the return of his skipper Vincent Kompany, will be hoping to stem the tide of goals his team have been leaking of late.
Manchester City have more quality in their squad, but their application of late has been poor. Jurgen Klopp’s firebrand style is suited to cup finals, and I expect the Liverpool manager to rally the troops and get the win in this game.
