The volume button on the music slides down. Referee Mark Clattenburg registers his whistle on the decibel meter for the first time - and Liverpool kick things off.

Second-placed City aiming to move within two points of leaders Chelsea. Champions League-chasing Liverpool could move level on points with fourth-placed Arsenal.

Anfield just would not be the same without Gerry and the Pacemakers classic 'You'll Never Walk Alone' blasting out. Best club anthem in football - fact. And I'm more of a Beatles man...

The travelling City fans try to drown out the Kop with a chorus of "Champione, champione". Sorry Blues, you've not got a chance.

Both sets of players are lined up in the narrow Anfield tunnel, waiting for the nod to stroll out. Manchester City keeper Joe Hart is particularly vocal, geeing up his team-mates both in English and another language which I can't decipher. He might just have been putting on a comedy accent.

Liverpool XI: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Lovren, Markovic, Henderson, Allen, Moreno, Coutinho, Sterling, Lallana. Subs: Toure, Lambert, Sturridge, Borini, Balotelli, Williams, Ward.

Man City XI: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov, Nasri, Toure, Fernandinho, Silva, Aguero, Dzeko. Subs: Fernando, Milner, Caballero, Bony, Lampard, Clichy, Demichelis.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson
Football Focus

"The goalkeeper now has a regular relationship with the three who normally play in defence and that makes a massive difference. Once you get that defensive solidity then you can start to tinker going forward, and Liverpool's tactics now allow them to play an extra attacking player, making up for the loss of Luis Suarez. Plus on the days when you are not quite right defensively, you can still win games with the extra attacking players.

"Brendan Rodgers deserves loads of credit. And whisper it, but lately nobody is mentioning Steven Gerrard anymore."

Image source, EPA

Both sides, as we know, have been involved in European action this week. But Manchester City have enjoyed the benefit of more preparation time than their rivals - and that should prove to be a decisive factor, reckons Blues boss Manuel Pellegrini.

City have not played since Tuesday, while Liverpool only returned from their Europa League game at Besiktas about 04.30 GMT on Friday.

"You can't prepare for the game," said Pellegrini, who had Europa League experience with Villarreal. "You finish on Thursday night and the players don't have the 48 hours to recover.

"It's an advantage for the other team, but we just can't think we are going to win for this reason. It is also about the performance."

Phil Giles: Four strikers on the bench for Liverpool but none in the starting 11, interesting choice by Brendan Rodgers.

Dominic O'Caollai: As a Liverpool fan the line-ups scare me. Physically a very weak team going up against Edin Dzkeo, Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany.

Get in touch using #getinspired, external on Twitter or drop us a line on the BBC Sport Facebook, external or Google+ page., external

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Image source, AFP

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers ahead of kick-off: "It's a pressure game, but the team is best working under pressure. They have got top class players, we know we have to pay attention to that but our focus is more about imposing our style on the game and causing them problems."

A few interesting bits of tittle tattle in Sunday's Gossip Column, directly involving both Liverpool and Manchester City. Time will tell whether there is much truth in them....

The most eye-catching - and, I'd suggest, most unlikely to happen - is that City are considering a £100m bid for Barcelona's former Reds striker Luis Suarez. (Mail on Sunday)

Meanwhile, the Reds are looking at offering out-of-favour City striker Stevan Jovetic the chance to stay in the Premier League, with the Montenegro international set to leave Etihad Stadium in the summer. (Sunday Mirror)

And James Milner has been told to lower his wage demands if he wants to clinch a summer move to Liverpool. (Sunday Express)

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson
Football Focus

"I thought Barcelona toyed with Manchester City in their Champions League game. Yes City were better in the second half, but only because Barca had wound it down. Barca were heads and shoulders ahead of them. City were naive in the way the played."

Strikers Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli are among the substitutes as Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers makes four changes.

Jordan Henderson returns to captain the side, while Emre Can is restored to the Reds' three-man defence. Lazar Markovic replaces Jordon Ibe on the right flank while Philippe Coutinho comes back in to join Adam Lallana in supporting Raheem Sterling in attack.

Manchester City also make four changes with Aleksander Kolarov, Eliaquim Mangala, Fernandinho and Yaya Toure coming into the team in place of Gael Clichy, Martin Demichelis, Fernando and James Milner.

"Liverpool can definitely get at Manchester City's defence with their fast attacking players - in the past we have been asking who the best partner is for Vincent Kompany at centre-back, but he is struggling for form right now and he has gone backwards.

"But City have found form again in attack with nine goals in their last two league games. They can hurt Liverpool too, which is why I think this game will end up as a draw."

Each week Lawro pits his wits against a different guest. His opponent this weekend? England rugby union star George Ford.

Image source, Getty Images

Let's continuing our analysis of the pre-match Anfield music for a second. Bear with this - it is relevant.

Kasabian's 'Stevie' is the next to blare out of the speakers - but of course Liverpool's 'Stevie' is nowhere to be seen on the pitch as the players go through their warm-up drills.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard misses out again with a hamstring injury. But, as Kasabian sing, I'm sure he will 'live to fight another day' before jetting off to LA Galaxy...

What a day of football it is. Not only are there two huge Premier League games and the League Cup final, there is also the East Anglia derby in the Championship, while north of the border the Scottish champions are in action.

Coverage of Celtic's home game against Aberdeen has begun - you can follow it here.

Get Inspired
With BBC Sport

Each week we team up with Get Inspired, the BBC initiative which aims to increase participation in sport, to hear tales about your own sporting experiences.

Today we want to know about the occasions you have missed out on playing in a big game. The quirkier the better.

James Wilson: I missed the cup final between Farrington Gurney and my previous side Chilcompton as I snoozed and a power cut stopped my alarm going off for a Sunday 3pm kick off.

Jos Morris: Once drove all the way from Cardiff to Holyhead for the Dublin ferry, only to be told that the minibus I was driving was too high for the ferry. The lads did well without me.

Get in touch using #getinspired, external on Twitter or drop us a line on the Match of the Day Facebook page, external or BBC Sport Google+ page., external

You can also text us on 81111 in the UK only - but please don't forget to add your name and location.

Image source, @yayatoure

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure on Twitter:, external "Love my big bro. He has taught me so much. But today... May the best Toure - sorry - Team win!!"

Whoever is controlling the Anfield pre-match jukebox is clearly a fan of early 2000s indie rock. Nickleback, The Automatic, Razorlight and Kaiser Chiefs are among the tunes blasting out to entertain the early arrivals at Anfield.

A loud cheer goes up from the few thousand home fans already in their seats when the home side stroll out for a limber up. Reds forward Daniel Sturridge, who starts on the bench, looks chipper and breaks into a beaming smile as he warmly embraces City skipper Vincent Kompany.

Sturridge is a former City player of course....

Guy Mowbray
BBC Match of the Day commentator

"After what happened at the end of their European games this week, what price a penalty proving decisive here?

"While Dejan Lovren's miss ended Liverpool's Europa League hopes, Joe Hart's save from Lionel Messi just about kept Man City alive in the Champions League. Just about.

"It also served as a major boost to City's spirits as they resume their chase of Chelsea - a chase that is back on after a two-point gain on the Premier League leaders last weekend."

It wasn't a vintage week of continental action for English sides.

Manchester City kicked off a miserable week with a 2-1 home defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League, while today's opponents Liverpool were dumped out of the Europa League in a penalty shootout at Besiktas.

And Arsenal looked like embarrassing dads as they turned up at the Champions League disco only to be shown up on the dancefloor by Monaco. At least Everton provided some cheer by teaching a harsh lesson to Swiss side Young Boys.

Al four teams return to the bread and butter of the Premier League today.