Manchester City have been far from convincing this season; but like champions, they have found a way to dig out results (read three points) when they should have really been losing.
That habit will have to be repeated yet again when Roberto Mancini's men take on a Liverpool side desperate for a win to maintain their hopes of a top-four place in the English Premier League.
The midweek goalless draw against Queens Park Rangers cost City quite a bit; instead of seeing themselves remain right on the tail of leaders Manchester United, they gave the onus to their archrivals to go out and pickup three points, and with it extend the lead to seven points.
Now, seven points is not too much when you consider the manner in which City clawed their way back from a seemingly impossible position to win the Premier League last season. However, one thing is certain: they cannot afford to drop anymore points for the next five games or so.
City's quartet of strikers have become a trio, with the sale of Mario Balotelli to AC Milan. The threesome of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko should normally be more than enough to score goals at will against most side.
However, things haven't quite worked out that way this season, with none of the three really firing on all cylinders, which has in turn magnified City's need to win games even when they are not at their best. Young striker John Guidetti might be given a chance by Mancini with Balotelli now gone.
City will have one advantage in the fact that Liverpool have not beaten a top half team all season. They came close against Arsenal Wednesday, but once the Gunners found their rhythm in the second half, the Reds were actually lucky to escape with a point.
Brendan Rodgers has stressed the fact that this Liverpool side is still very much evolving and nothing major can be expected from the group until next season. However, a Champions League place is so valued nowadays that having found some good form, Liverpool will be desperate to keep up the chase rather than tail off during the business end of the season.
Liverpool will again rely on their main man Luis Suarez, who can't seem to stop scoring at the moment. Suarez has formed a potent partnership with Daniel Sturridge, and with City not having skipper Vincent Kompany available, the duo will look to find holes in the City defense at the Etihad.
Along with Kompany, Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure will miss due to the brothers being away in Africa Cup of Nations Duty with the Ivory Coast. Maicon is back in training, but the match against Liverpool comes too soon, while Micah Richards is also not too far away from a comeback.
City played against QPR with Javi Garcia as center-back, but Matija Nastasic is expected to return from the knee injury which forced Mancini to play the midfielder in defense.
Liverpool have no injury worries, with only new signing Philippe Coutinho missing.
Expected lineups: Manchester City: Hart; Zabaleta, Lescott, Nastasic, Clichy; Garcia, Barry; Milner, Silva, Tevez; Aguero.
Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Lucas, Henderson, Gerrard; Downing, Sturridge, Suarez.
Prediction: 2-1 to City