Three key battles to watch-out for as Liverpool take on Manchester City

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Adam Lallana & Sadio Mané vs Kevin De Bruyne & David Silva

One of the key duels in midfield will be between the two creative duos of either side, and with Philippe Coutinho losing the race to be fit for the showdown, the responsibility falls upon former Southampton men Adam Lallana and Sadio Mané. The two have 15 goals and eight assists between them in the Premier League this season, with Mané’s eight strikes making him the Reds’ leading goalscorer this campaign.

The game will be won and lost by who has the most influence in midfield and which side is able to control the game. For Liverpool, Lallana and Mané are a key part of that stranglehold of matches, whilst City can call upon the creativity and flair of David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne.

Belgian De Bruyne has just two goals to his name this season in the league, but that isn’t detrimental to his influence of matches as he makes up for his lack of goals with an impressive nine assists so far. Silva’s tally stands at one goal and four assists, but like De Bruyne, he is a master of incisive passing and like his Belgian midfield partner enjoys operating in little pockets of space, threading passes through the defence and running the channels when necessary.

Such attributes are very much present in Liverpool’s Lallana, whereas Mané offers a very different threat in galloping out wide and looking to come inside. Two very different types of attacking threat therefore, which are effective in two differing attacking philosophies, and the outcome of the match may well depend on which of the two duos gets the most joy in key areas: Lallana masterfully picking passes and Mané deadly out wide, or De Bruyne and Silva’s maestro work in midfield?