Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool will need to find a way to nullify the threat posed by Sergio Aguero with the Manchester City striker set to make his return from a four-match suspension for the big New Year's Eve game at Anfield. The Premier League will bid goodbye to 2016 with a match that could have a huge bearing on the title race.
The schedule and TV listings for the match
Aguero has been absent since picking up a straight red card for kicking out at David Luiz in City's match against Chelsea, and having watched from the sidelines as Pep Guardiola's side bounced back from a couple of poor defeats, the Argentine will now hope to put his Anfield hoodoo to rest.
In seven matches that he has played at Liverpool's home ground – five with City and two with Atletico Madrid – Aguero has failed to score. If Liverpool can push that to eight, they will have a pretty good chance of fashioning the win they need to keep Chelsea in sight.
Along with Aguero, John Stones is also ready to take his place in the starting lineup after recovering from a knee injury picked up in the last game, which forced him off in the first half. Leroy Sane, Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna, Fabian Delph and Ilkay Gundogan, though, are ruled out.
While City welcome their prime attacker back, Liverpool will again have to do without theirs, with Jurgen Klopp ruling Philippe Coutinho out of the next two fixtures. Liverpool, however, have done quite well even without the Brazilian in the lineup, so they will back themselves to continue their good form in front of goal.
The worry for Liverpool, as always this season, remains at the back, and unfortunately for the home side they will be Joel Matip. The summer signing has still not recovered from an ankle injury, which means Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan are likely to partner in central defence one more time.
Expected starting XI: Liverpool: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner; Lallana, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mane, Origi, Firmino.
Manchester City: Bravo; Sagna, Otamendi, Stones, Clichy; Fernandinho; Sterling, Toure, Silva, De Bruyne; Aguero.
