City midfield duo set for starts

Midfield duo Elano and Dietmar Hamann are set to earn immediate recalls as Manchester City look to regain a top four place by beating Liverpool at Eastlands.

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson left the pair out of last night's 2-2 draw with Blackburn as he attempts to keep his squad fresh over the festive period.

With Michael Johnson (groin) again set to miss out, Eriksson will turn to Elano to provide the inspiration for victory and former Reds star Hamann to subdue his old team-mate Steven Gerrard.

Team (from): Hart, Isaksson, Onuoha, Corluka, Sun, Dunne, Richards, Garrido, Ball, Ireland, Hamann, Elano, Fernandes, Geovanni, Petrov, Mpenza, Vassell, Bianchi, Samaras.