Liverpool shift their focus to rivals City
JUERGEN KLOPP vows a different Liverpool side will show up for this weekend’s top-of-the-table showdown with Manchester City.
After opening the season with seven straight wins, Liverpool have stumbled through three winless performances over the past 10 days.
Their latest setback came Wednesday with a 1-0 Champions League loss at Napoli in which they conceded in the 90th minute and failed to register a shot on target.
And things don’t get any easier with champions Man City heading to Anfield on Sunday.
“We have three days to recover and then we have Man City,” Klopp said after the loss in Italy.
“It would have been difficult at any time in the season, it is never easy against them. On Sunday we will have our crowd in the back.
“You could see tonight, Napoli used the atmosphere and we couldn’t calm it down with our performance.
“But on Sunday that will be 100 percent different.”
Four straight league wins have moved City above Liverpool in the table on goal difference, with both on 19 points. But City have won just one of 10 meetings between the two, that a 5-0 drubbing last season.
“It’s a big game,” City captain Vincent Kompany said. “Both teams are at the top of the league at the moment.
“It’s too early to be defining but it certainly has the feeling that a lot more is at play than the three points.
“They are certainly a team in form and are playing at home – it will certainly be a difficult game for us.”
Third-placed Chelsea can move closer to at least one of the teams in front of them when they visit Southampton, while Tottenham host winless Cardiff City and Arsenal go for a sixth straight league win at Fulham.
Manchester United look to get their season back on track when they host winless Newcastle United.
United have made their worst start to a campaign since 1992.
Jose Mourinho’s men lost at West Ham in the league last weekend and were then booed off after a 0-0 home draw with Valencia in the Champions League on Tuesday.