There is nothing more cruel for a football team than losing a game on penalties. And when that loss comes in a cup final, those pain levels just increase. Liverpool must somehow come out of the feeling-sorry-for-ourselves mode and get their mojo back as they host the team that beat them in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday on penalties – Manchester City – in the English Premier League, Wednesday.
While City will still be buzzing from the League Cup final win, Liverpool will think about what might have been, even if the better team came out on top in the end. Manchester City created the better chances and had Raheem Sterling, the former Liverpool player, put his shooting boots on at Wembley, the match would never even have gone into extra time, let alone penalties.
Liverpool will need to play a lot better at Anfield if they are to get the better of City, who will be confident of beating their opponents again in the space of just three days.
"We had, I think, more than 60 percent possession against a football-playing side like Man City," Klopp told the club's official website. "OK, it was a little bit about the result and things like this. But we had a lot of good moments, we created a few chances, not enough with the possession we had.
"We saw a lot of things and they are what we have to use but especially now it is not possible to change the history of the game on Wednesday. We cannot say 'if we win this game then somebody can give us the Capital One Cup', it will not be like this.
"We have to show that we are ready again. At the end it is a long way to go in the season, we have a lot of games. I think it has to be a disappointment when you lose a final but it was not that we played really badly or things like this. After the loss you have to show that you are more greedy than before so that's what we have to show."
Manchester City are still in the title race, and what they cannot afford to do is drop points. Leicester City are currently ten points ahead of fourth-placed City, but having played two games more. So if City win their two games in hand, the gap at the top will be down to just four points.
"If we are nine points behind the leader the range of error is less," Pellegrini told City's official website. "If the maths say you can do it, you must always trust you can do it. I am sure our team will continue growing from now until the end of the season.
"When you have experience, it's easier. When you see what happens over the seasons, you must trust. I remember two years before I arrived, when City won the title with Mancini, weren't we eight points behind United? Anything can happen."
Team news: Liverpool: Klopp has been dealt a blow with Lucas Leiva set for a spell out after picking up a muscle injury in the Capital One Cup final against Manchester City. Mamadou Sakho, who had to be taken off in the first half after a head injury, will be assessed before Klopp makes a call on the defender. The German manager also hinted at a few changes to the team that went down so narrowly on Sunday.
Manchester City: Yaya Toure is a doubt for the game with a foot injury, but Pellegirni revealed Raheem Sterling will start on his return to Anfield since making a controversial, big-money summer move to the Etihad.
Sterling seemed to wilt a little under the pressure in the final at the weekend, missing two simple chances, but Pellegrini is confident his young forward can cope against Liverpool at Anfield.
"I don't know what the starting XI will be yet, but one player who I'm sure will start is Raheem Sterling," Pellegrini added. "He's a young man, a young player starting his career, but he knows how to deal with pressure.
"He'll receive the same treatment (from the fans), as he did at the weekend, but I'm sure he can play without a problem, and he'll be a very important player, as he was in the last game."
Where to Watch Live
Liverpool vs Manchester City is scheduled for a 8 p.m. GMT (1.30 a.m. IST, 3 p.m. ET) start. Live TV coverage of the match in India will be on Star Sports 1/HD1, while the match can also be viewed via live streaming online on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
The Premier League match will be shown live in the UK and Ireland on BT Sport 1, with the live stream option on Watch BT Sport. but audience in the region can listen to the match live on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Viewers in Singapore can watch the match live on 102 mio, with live coverage of the game in Thailand on CTH.
Australia viewers can watch the EPL game live on Fox Sports 4, while the online live stream options are on Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.
Bein Sports Arabia 2 will broadcast the EPL match live in the Middle East and North Africa, while the action can also be live streamed on Bein Sports Connect.
NBCSN will broadcast the game live in the US, while the action can also be live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra. Audience in Canada can watch the action live on TSN, with the live streaming option on TSN TV.
