As one of the biggest games in the English football calendar, the stakes on Wednesday night add another layer of pressure. As the Citizens head across the city to Old Trafford, they know the price of not winning. Victory is one more hurdle – the hardest left – to the title, stopping Liverpool from ending three decades of hurt. A draw or a loss, though, opens the floor up to Merseyside.

Manchester United News

Forget rivalry and forget the nonsense about United ‘lying down’ to City to stop a Liverpool title win. City are more than good enough to win at Old Trafford on their own. Untied are in poor form and were eviscerated by Everton at the weekend.

Fitness is not a great issue in terms of injuries – but in terms of form. United look lethargic and they looked tired. If they are to do anything other than play the role of a derby opponent, they need to find many levels more than they have in recent weeks. Expect guts and aggression in midfield, with the potential for Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku to lead the line – both have experience in this fixture.

Manchester City News

The loss of Kevin de Bruyne is, undoubtedly, a blow for Man City. However, they ‘only’ have to consider a line-up of Fernandinho alongside Bernardo and David Silva. What a hard choice. In defence, we expect to see Aymeric Laporte line-up alongside John Stones. They’ll expect some cover from the midfield, while a front three of Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling will start up front.

Expect City to play it cautious, tight and compact: they can wait all night for a goal.

Verdict

City win. United will have to show something here to get the fans back onside, but even at their best they probably aren’t good enough to beat City. Unless hubris gets the better of City on a big away day again, we cannot see anything other than a win for the blue half of Manchester – effectively sealing the league title.

For many, David de Gea is the best goalkeeper on the planet. While the likes of Jan Oblak and older legends of the game such as Gigi Buffon and Iker Casillas may dispute that, the Madrid-born star is a true icon of the modern game. With a reputation for turning unbelievable shots into routine saves, and reaching shots he has no right to get to, de Gea has long been one of the most promising keepers in the world.

Ever since he broke through into the Atletico Madrid first-team in 2009, he soon became an elite member of the goalkeeping community. From a young age, he was seen as the long-term successor for Casillas himself. At Atletico Madrid, he picked up European honours as he starred in their 2010 UEFA Europa League and Super Cup successes.

In 2011, though, the star was on the move as he became the long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar at Manchester United. As one of the last major signings by Alex Ferguson to be a major success, his then-record move for a goalkeeper in Britain ensured he soon became a legend for the club.

At just 27, the keeper has been one of the best performers of his age group. His incredible flexibility makes him a simple choice for most when looking at the top keepers in the world. In fact, since he arrived in the Premier League, he’s been among the top keepers in the league for making saves per game.

Given he plays for a top club, that shows just how good de Gea is. Often, top club keepers are underworked; the Spaniard manages to help United win many games where they play below their standards but still win. From making wild saves to consistency, he’s the full package for a shot stopping keeper.

When Fulham came up to the Premier League, many proclaimed them to be the horribly named ‘transfer window winners’ long-term. They signed some names people had heard of, or signed in video games, and thus people got very excited. A couple of La Liga names, a Ligue 1 star in Jean Michael Seri, and also a FIFA World Cup winner in Andre Schurrle. Now, with relegation under Scott Parker almost certain, they have one aim next weekend: play a role in the title race. With Manchester City soon to come, too, can they?

Fulham News

Life sounds stressful this year for Fulham fans. With nearly 70 goals conceded (68), they have a meagre four wins all year. Worryingly for them, their opponents on Sunday have scored as many as they have conceded. In Calum Chambers and Alexander Mitrovic, Fulham have two decent Premier League quality signings who could make a positive contribution to the match.

Outside of that, though, it’s hard to see where the quality comes from. Andre Schurrle has scored a few, but loves to go missing. And in the hapless defence they have, with the likes of Cyrus Christie and Maxime Le Marchand trying their best but not having enough, it’s hard to see where the positivity can come from.

Liverpool News

Depending on what happens on Wednesday night, this could be even more make-or-break for Liverpool. Knowing they likely need to win every league game is hard enough: to do so after what is sure to be a major game in Munich could be even tougher.

For Liverpool, though, injuries are just beginning to die off. The likes of Adam Lallana look properly fit again, and the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is finally near. This could help to take the weight off of a side that, for many, lacks spark in midfield.

Verdict

A Liverpool win – but nowhere near as convincing as some might expect. A massive game in Munich awaits, and we can see that being enough to tire out the Reds. If they can keep the pace in the Fulham team quiet, they should have enough to win here: but don’t expect too many fireworks.

While to some Brazilian international keeper Heurelho Gomes makes too many mistakes to be considered a top keeper, that seems harsh. For the majority of his career, 37-year-old Gomes has played a key role in a variety of clubs’ success.

He arguably came to prominence when he arrived in Holland in 2004 as the goalkeeper of PSV Eindhoven. That being said, he was a stand-out in Brazil when he played for Cruzeiro; a move to Holland only helped to expand and build on his profile. While he had his usual erratic moments and is known for making mistakes, he’s also a tremendous shot stopper of incredible poise and accuracy.

He was a major part of PSV doing a whopping 4-in-a-row in the Eredivisie, and also helped the club to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in his first season at the club. In the years to come, he helped the club to move out of the group stages and beyond. For 14 years prior to his arrival, PSV had fell at the group stages or fell at the second round.

A major favourite in Eindhoven, his move to Tottenham Hotspur could be considered less successful. While his erratic nature shone through most significantly at Spurs, where he had several high profile errors, he was a keeper wo regularly helped the club out with solid displays and major moments.

After the Spurs episode, he made a move to Germany briefly, with TSG Hoffenheim, before returning to England to sign with Watford. He won the Player of the Season award at the club in 2015/16, and has been a regular and consistent part of the clubs’ growth and development into a consistent Premier League outfit.

Many might remember the 11-cap Brazilian for errors; but it’s his reflexes that matter most.