Manuel Pellegrini has challenged Manchester City to use their dramatic League Cup final victory over Liverpool as a catalyst for a renewed assault on the Premier League title as they prepare to face the Reds again on Wednesday.
Pellegrini will hand the managerial reins over to Pep Guardiola at the end of the season and the Chilean ensured he will depart the Etihad Stadium with at least one trophy in 2015-16 following a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win at Wembley – deputy goalkeeper Willy Caballero proving the hero by saving three spot-kicks.
A fixture list coincidence means Liverpool have the opportunity to exact immediate revenge at Anfield, but City are aiming to avoid three consecutive league defeats for the first time since 2008 after suffering damaging home losses to title rivals Leicester City and Tottenham.
Those setbacks have left City – hammered 4-1 by Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in November – nine points adrift of leaders Leicester, albeit with a game in hand.
Liverpool will give a late check to Mamadou Sakho who sustained a head injury at Wembley, while Martin Skrtel and Joe Allen (both hamstring) remain out and Dejan Lovren (illness) is still a doubt.
City have no fresh injury worries, with Kevin De Bruyne (knee), Fabian Delph (Achilles) and Samir Nasri (hamstring) still sidelined.