One of the reasons I am concerned about tonights game is how the players will mentally be approaching the game.
I think part of the reason we usually don't fare so well in Liverpool is that for some bizarre reason, dippers of both colours seem to treat the game against us like their bloody cup final every time. They play like a team possessed against us normally. Whereas to us, it's just another away game.
And if ever that were true, it's especially true tonight. They're all thinking they have got bugger-all chance of a result in the return leg at the Etihad, so tonight is their one chance. They are thinking they MUST win the game and win it well.
Pep will doubtless have drilled it in to our players how important it is to come away with a win or a draw at worst, and that they should not be thinking about Saturday at all, let alone next week. But players are people, not robots. And people don't stop thinking about something just because they are told to - you cannot just switch on or off like that.
So I can imagine there will be more intensity to Liverpool's game than ours. In fact I think it's inevitable. The question is, will that added intensity be enough for the inferior side to beat the superior side.