I think there's a reason to be slightly optimistic on the basis of City looking well off their usual pace this season. For a year and a half, not only were they dominant in possession and full of quality options all over the pitch, but they were also playing at a frantic pace that could obliterate opponents. I believe that midway through last season, after losing 3/4 league games, Guardiola realized that he needed to tone it down a bit. We saw the introduction of Gundogan as an important cog in their midfield and we also saw Bernardo becoming a mainstay in their attacking trident. Both these tactical moves aimed to help them control games instead of playing with foot on the gas pedal all the time.
It worked like a treat last season but during this one, we've witnessed two things: Firstly, they seem either hesitant or unable to turn up the volume this season (probably the injuries?). Secondly, they're not as clinical as they were in the last 14 league games last season. On the other hand, Liverpool seem to be winning their games with great economy of effort because they're lethally efficient in front of goal. Perhaps it's because they're more focused on winning the league while the motivation for City's players is a little bit more hard to find after their two previous fantastic campaigns.
Long story short, City are clearly the favourites but it looks like a match in which a higher tempo for parts of the game might actually benefit us for a change if we manage to keep our shape defensively and shut down the central channels properly.
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