Hmm... I wonder where i put my scarf...
Well folks after a weekend away with my other half in rather wet Torquay i have been slammed back to reality this Monday afternoon and here i am back in regular routine supplying you lot with a short and sweet match preview... It's ok, there's no need to thank me...
Moving on, if you aren't excited yet for tonight's game i don't know what's going to spur you on. It's a different kind of excitement to the Arsenal game, perhaps due to the realisation that Man City will probably be one of our closest rivals in terms of battling for places just underneath the top four this season, of course we hope for more but that has to be the realistic target for now.
Hodgson has been speaking today/yesterday about how Torres fared against Trabzonspor in his 45minutes on the field and his comments suggest he was very pleased. Torres therefore has got a good chance of starting against this unpredictable City side and boy are we going to need a touch of class.
The one thing i still stand by with City however is yes, they are a decent side now, some players are fantastic, not just on paper but also on the pitch but there is just no way that flashing the cash in such flamboyant style and expecting the players to work well together and click is going to work. Yes we should be weary of City but they aren't the team the media are making them out to be.
As for Liverpool's team, i think we can safely say that there is a strong link and connections between the new players with the rest of the side appear to have already been established. I would be very happy to see Jovanovic start tonight, his strength would be a needed asset i feel. The defence must be solid, with City's attack and the flair of Tevez it would be dangerous to push the back four up too far. They need to be pin point when defending set pieces too.
I have all the confidence in captain Steven Gerrard to have a good game and would not mind either Lucas or Mascherano to sit with him.
Joe Hart could be the holder of the end result of this game, if he has a game like he did against Spurs the other week it will take a lot to get something past the stopper.
New signings for City Balotelli and Milner could also feature tonight, the Liverpool boys will be more than familiar with Milner from his Aston Villa days but Balotelli poses a different threat. He scored 20 goals in 59 appearances for Inter but after playing only that amount of games in three years at the club it may take some time for the Italian to settle in.
Our last three meetings with City have all ended in a draw. As for our results on the road to City we have 1 win, 1 loss and 3 draws from the last 5 clashes.
Even if it does end in a draw tonight the chances are it will still be a fast paced game filled with controversy. So enjoy your 90minutes tonight and keep your fingers crossed for Torres to score first cause i'll be off up Ladbrokes tomorrow morning if he does! Haha.