Champions City have two wins from two games
Substitute Aguero scores with his first touch
Stevan Jovetic scores twice in first half
New Reds signing Balotelli watched from stands
Man City v Liverpool (20:00 BST)
You would expect how well full-backs Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta handle Liverpool's attacking players will be key to determining whether Liverpool can sneak a win tonight.
Even without Luis Suarez, an attacking three of Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho is a frightening prospect for any side to have to handle.
Robbie Savage
BBC Radio 5 live
"I don't think Balotelli is a gamble, it is a no brainer - £16m for player who can score goals in England and for Italy. Can Brendan Rodgers handle him? Irrespective of that it is about Mario. Only he can help himself on the field. Brendan can't go home with him or out with him.
"This could be his last chance in terms of a big club. I think Brendan will improve him on training ground. They need the bigger squad for the Champions League."
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking about his new striker Mario Balotelli on Sky Sports.
"I looked at the talent and he is a wonderful talent," says Rodgers. "We potentially will have the English number nine and the Italian number nine. Mario is at a stage in his career where this might be his last chance. He needs to settle down and show maturity, but I have worked with loads of players like that.
"He has huge potential but he needs to come here and be consistent and if he can do that then we have one hell of a player.
"I like to sit down and look in a player's eyes and see their honesty. I spent about three-and-a-half hours with him talking through Liverpool. This is a massive club and a different club. We have strong family values and behaviour is very important here. We believe we can improve his game and consistency in his game."
Mario Balotelli is in the house! The new Liverpool striker emerges from his car at the Etihad Stadium and flashes a smile to the gathered fans, who are chanting 'Mario, Mario'. Cracking bit of snood action as well.
It is raining. Wonder if he missed that while he was sunning himself over in Milan?
Image source, @MCFCRian Hoskins:, external Thought Liverpool would keep it tight with Allen playing. Excited to see Moreno. Has potential to be a world class left back.
Ethan Robinson:, external Every Liverpool fans' dream - seeing Demichelis in the starting eleven.
Anthony Amodeo:, external Why does BR keep sticking w/ Johnson??? Always out of position and fooling no one as an attacker. Manquillo and Moreno, please!
Everton
Just seven days until the transfer window closes and the wheels of business keep on turning. Samuel Eto'o without a club since leaving Chelsea in then summer, appears set for a move to Everton, who are close to agreeing a two-year deal for the striker.
Liverpool are understood to have been interested in the 33-year-old but the completion of their £16m move for Mario Balotelli left the way clear for Everton to hold talks with Eto'o.
Reports in Italy claim he will undergo a medical on Tuesday before competing the transfer. Talks are ongoing but Everton could sign Eto'o in time for him to be in line for a debut against former boss Jose Mourinho at Goodison Park on Saturday evening.
Spanish La Liga
Real Madrid's bid to win La Liga for the first time since 2011-12 is under way. And they have an early chance to open the scoring against newly-promoted Cordoba, who are bossed by ex-Barcelona and Chelsea right-back Albert Ferrer. Gareth Bale manages to wrestle the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo's grasp, only to spoon his 25-yard free-kick way over the crossbar. Think Ronaldo will be pulling rank at the next set-piece.....
Robbie Savage
BBC Radio 5 live
"It is very hard to make a call on how that game is going to go but l don't think Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will take a cautious approach.
"He believes in his attacking philosophy and he believes in his team, and I think he will go for it.
"But for all the goals they scored last season, Liverpool's weakness last season was their defence - they conceded at least twice in 16 of their 38 Premier League games and, out of the top eight, only Tottenham (51) shipped more goals in total than the Reds (50)."
Read more from Robbie Savage in his BBC Sport column.
Manchester City XI: Hart, Demichelis, Kompany, Zabaleta, Clichy, Fernando, Nasri, Y Toure, Silva, Jovetic, Dzeko. Subs: Caballero, Sagna, Kolarov, Milner, Fernandinho, Navas, Aguero.
Liverpool XI: Mignolet, Johnson, Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno, Allen, Gerrard, Coutinho, Henderson, Sterling, Sturridge. Subs: Jones, K Toure, Lambert, Sakho, Manquillo, Can, Markovic.
Sergio Aguero is on the bench for Manchester City while Pablo Zabaleta returns to the side. On-loan midfielder Frank Lampard is not in the squad.
Defender Alberto Moreno makes his debut for Liverpool.
Man City v Liverpool (20:00 BST)
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Image source, Getty ImagesSeeing their side line up against Manchester City might be a tad painful for those Liverpool fans still hurting from missing out on a first Premier League trophy last season.
The last time these two sides met in the league, in April, a Philippe Coutinho strike at Anfield gave Liverpool a 3-2 win - their eighth victory in succession - and tipped the title fight in their favour.
However, four-and-a-half hours of football later, the Reds' title hopes had been shattered. Steven Gerrard's slip set Chelsea on the way to a 2-0 victory, disrupting Liverpool's momentum while Manchester City won their final four games to win the league.
But a new season brings fresh hope. They go again.
Man City v Liverpool (20:00 BST)
Image source, @MCFCManchester City players are arriving at the Etihad Stadium, among them Sergio Aguero. Will the striker get his first start of the season today?
Team news should be with us inside the next 10 minutes.
Spanish La Liga
Image source, EPACristiano Ronaldo had been struggling with a back injury, but the world player of the year is - as expected - fit to start Real Madrid's opening La Liga fixture.
Less expected is the news that veteran keeper Iker Casillas is chosen by boss Carlo Ancelotti, with new signing Keylor Navas on the bench. Ancelotti also starts £100m of new talent in the form of Colombia's World Cup top scorer James Rodriguez and the man who made World Cup winners Germany tick, Toni Kroos.
But there is no place in the squad for Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, who is being courted by Manchester United. Sami Khedira, another player catching the eye of Premier League sides, starts on the bench after Ancelotti confirmed the Germany midfielder will stay at the Bernabeu this season.
Real Madrid: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Modric, Kroos, Rodriguez, Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale. Subs: Keylor Navas, Varane, Khedira, Xabi Alonso, Carvajal, Isco, Illaramendi.
Spanish La Liga
Image source, AFPAtletico Madrid won their first La Liga since 1996 with a dramatic 1-1 draw at title rivals Barcelona on a thrilling final day of last season. But Los Rojiblancos will find it "very difficult" to stop Real Madrid or Barca regaining the Spanish title, claims boss Diego Simeone.
Over the summer they have sold both striker Diego Costa, who scored 27 league goals last season, and left-back Filipe Luis to Chelsea, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois returned to the Premier League club after a two-year loan spell.
Both Real and Barcelona have spent over £100m on new players this summer, leaving Simeone to admit that Atletico are "in a different league" to their rivals.
"Over one or two games we all have a chance. Over a full year you need to do things extraordinarily well, at 110% like we did last year," says Simeone, who will not be in the dugout later after receiving a whopping eight-match touchline ban.
Spanish La Liga
Image source, EPALet's leave England for a short while. We're going to pop across the Channel, weave through France, cross the Pyrenees and jump on the road leading to Madrid.
That's because the Spanish capital is hosting two matches tonight as big-spending Real Madrid and defending champions Atletico Madrid both start their La Liga campaigns.
Hours after Barcelona started their season with an almost-effortless 3-0 home win against Elche, eyes switch to the Bernabeu where Real host newly-promoted Cordoba (19:00 BST). Once the final whistle goes there, it is Atletico's turn. Diego Simeone's men cross Madrid to face Rayo Vallecano (21:00 BST).
Go here to follow the Real match, before heading to this page to see how Atletico do.
Is Mario Balotelli a combustible bad influence, or the ideal anti-hero replacement for Luis Suarez?
"In Suarez's place comes an international striker with a rich pedigree, a Premier League title, a worldwide profile - but a whole barrel-load of "buts" and baggage. This is Liverpool jumping out of the frying pan into the fire and more besides," writes BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty.
Read more of McNulty's view on Liverpool's signing of Balotelli here.
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport Chief Football Writer at Etihad Stadium
Image source, AP"Etihad Stadium plays host to the two teams who were still in contention for the title on the final day of last season. Manchester City pipped Liverpool and part of the latter's response after selling Luis Suarez has been to sign former City striker Mario Balotelli today.
"He will be here tonight to watch his new team face his old team - with one hoping to deliver an early psychological blow."
BBC Radio 5 live
You can tune in to all the build-up to tonight's game and all the latest on Mario Balotelli's move to Liverpool from senior football reporter Ian Dennis and Robbie Savage from 19:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 live ahead of commentary from the game in full.
Man City v Liverpool (20:00 BST)
Mario Balotelli says the welcome he has received from Liverpool fans has surprised him, given that they were "not nice" to him when he played for Manchester City.
"I didn't expect [the reaction from fans] because I've always been playing against Liverpool," he said. "Whenever I played against Liverpool, the fans weren't nice with me but that's normal - it's football! Now that I play for Liverpool, I can see the expectation in people. They're very happy and that makes me very happy at the same time."
Balotelli will wear number 45 for Liverpool. One of the all-time great reasons for picking that number too, external - because four plus five equals nine, he says.
Al Mamun Russell:, external #LFC have the magic effect. Just look at Suarez's last season. Another phoenix will be born out of #Balotelli.
Samir:, external Balotelli is definitely no Suarez, but whoever your are and whoever is in your squad already, every team needs a Ballotelli.
Joshua Edwards:, external Sad day for LFC fans selling Suarez and getting Balotelli. Sold dumb and got dumber instead.