Capital One Cup final: How to watch Liverpool vs. Manchester City

                                                                                                           
                                                                  

Manchester City defender Gael Clichy wants to win Capital One Cup final but admits it will be emotional after Paris attacks

• Gael Clichy is gearing up for the Capital One Cup against Liverpool 
• City defender admits playing at Wembley will be emotional for him
• He says he was greatly affected when England played France in November
• The terrorist attacks in Paris happened just four days before that friendly 

Gael Clichy is preparing for an emotional trip to Wembley for Sunday's Capital One Cup final.

The French left-back is hoping to be part of the Manchester City side that takes on Liverpool at the national stadium for the season's first silverware.

But for the 30-year-old, Wembley means much more than football as memories are sure to come flooding back of last November's friendly between England and France.

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Gael Clichy says he wants to win the Capital One Cup but admits he doesn't want to do so without enjoying it

Clichy was not part of the France squad that night, after the start of his season was ruined by an ankle injury - but the emotion of the occasion affected him greatly.

The game took place just four days after the Bataclan Paris attacks in which 129 people were killed and fans and players of both sides stood together to sing the French national anthem in tribute to those lost.

'Even though I am not an English player, Wembley is a name you know when you are a kid,' said Clichy. You want to play in those kind of stadiums.

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Clichy (centre right) in training before Manchester City's final against Liverpool on Sunday at Wembley

'It is an amazing stadium and hopefully it will be full with blue and red colours, but right now the image that comes to mind was the game England played against France and seeing those colours, everyone united for the same reason.

'I think football is a beautiful game and those kind of days are beautiful and that is why we play football. Of course we want to win it but we are going to try to enjoy it as well.'

Clichy is not a certain starter as both he and Aleksandar Kolarov are used regularly by manager Manuel Pellegrini in the left-back slot.

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Clichy was overcome with emotion when England played France in Wembley friendly days after Paris attacks

But Clichy has nothing but respect for Pellegrini, who is to leave City at the end of the season to make way for Pep Guardiola, and would like to see the 62-year-old Chilean go out on a high.

Clichy, who joined City in 2011 after eight years at Arsenal, said: 'Yes, we have been together for three years now and we have to live in the present - and the present is with Manuel Pellegrini.

'He reminds me a bit of Arsene Wenger - very calm. Whatever situation we are in he always try to keep the players calm. That is a massive point for a manager and the players.

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Pellegrini led Manchester City to League Cup triumph against Sunderland at Wembley in March 2014

'You can have a reaction by telling off the players but sometimes you can gain a lot of confidence by being calm and he is the kind of manager that brings calmness to the dressing room.

'I think for this game he will be exactly the same. He will want us to play the way we want to play. With the quality we have, if we start the game well, there is no reason why we should not have a great game. Hopefully it will be one of those games where things go well for us.'

City go into the game after an uplifting Champions League win at Dynamo Kiev - a result that not only put the club in sight of the quarter-finals for the first time but lifted some gloom after three successive defeats.

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Although Clichy isn't in Sportsmail's XI for Sunday's big match Clichy may feature during the final

City can still win three trophies this season, but Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are a tough obstacle blocking the path to the first.

Clichy said: 'I think he (Klopp) is a really good manager and it is a fantastic club, one of the best in England and Europe. We know what to expect from them - great players, great team.

'You want to win every game but a final is something special. What to expect from them is a hard game with talented players and hopefully the best team will win.'

Liverpool XI vs. City: 'Amazing' attacker starts? Klopp drops Brazilian? Surprise in midfield?

After another weekend of Premier League action, Liverpool have dropped down to 9th place in the league, but mid-table mediocrity is okay because the Reds have a chance to win the Capital One Cup. Rejoice! 

Well, that's the narrative being sold by fans, the club, and ex-Reds in then media, but I personally couldn't be any less enthused about the League Cup.

As Bill Shankly once said, the league is Liverpool's 'bread and butter', and Jurgen Klopp has abjectly failed to make any impression on the league.

I'll inevitably be accused of being harsh on Klopp, but he arrived after only 8 games, and a challenge for fourth place is the bare minimum a manager of his experience and alleged genius should be achieving. Instead, Liverpool have *regressed* in the league under Klopp, and a pointless League Cup win won't change that. But, I digress...

Klopp admitted this week that he faces some 'difficult' selection decision for tomorrow's game, and conceded that several players will inevitably end up feeling 'disappointed'. Who will miss out, though?

* In my view, the following are nailed-on starters: Mignolet, Sakho, Henderson, Clyne, Moreno, Milner, Coutinho, Firmino, and Sturridge. That leaves two places to fill: One in defence, and once in central midfield.

* Lallana, Lovren, and Allen were back in training this week, but in terms of match fitness, Lovren (who missed the last game through illness) is probably the only one of the three with a chance of starting the game.

* It's a three-way fight between Lucas, Lovren, and Toure for the second central defensive berth, but based on recent form, Toure and Lucas should arguably be ahead of Lovren.

* If Lucas misses out in defence, then it's a straight choice between him and Emre Can in midfield, and with Klopp at the helm, there's only going to be one winner here.

With this in mind, I expect to see the following lineup:

------------------- Mignolet
Clyne -------- Sakho ---- Toure ----- Moreno
----------- Hendo --- Can --- Milner
------------- Firmino --- Coutinho
------------------- Sturridge^

P. LEAGUE

You have until Sunday @ 4.30pm (GMT) to participate. Everything is doubled for this particular match, so there are some major points on offer :-)

* 40 Points: First goalscorer (either team)

* 40 Points: First Liverpool player to put in a cross (From either flank; excludes free-kicks)

* 60 Points: Collective number of LFC corners.

* 70 Points: Correct LFC lineup AND subs bench.

* 100 Point Triple-Whammy: Goalscorer + first cross + corners

* The Jack Walsh Mega-Bonus: 200 points. Perfect score + goalscorer + first cross + corners. 

This will be Liverpool's 12th League Cup final, a record for the competition. Of the previous 11, they've lifted the trophy eight times (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003 and 2012).

Manchester City have been in four previous League Cup finals, winning in 1970, 1976 and most recently in 2014 against Sunderland. They were runners-up in 1974, losing to Wolves.

This will be the first final in any competition contested between Liverpool and Manchester City.

In cup competition, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last eight against the Citizens (W6 D2), last being defeated by them in an FA Cup 4th round replay in 1973.

Excluding Community Shield matches, Manchester City have been victorious in four of their last five trips to Wembley - the exception being the FA Cup final loss to Wigan in 2013.

Jurgen Klopp has now reached a cup final in each of his last five seasons as a manager, but he's lost the last three. He won the DFB Cup with Dortmund in 2012, lost the Champions League final at Wembley 2013 and lost successive German cup finals in 2014 and 2015.

Yaya Toure scored and assisted for Man City in their last League Cup final, in which they beat Sunderland 3-1.

Only three players who played in Liverpool's last League Cup final in 2012 are still at the club - Martin Skrtel, Jordan Henderson and Jose Enrique. Skrtel scored Liverpool's first goal on that day.

City scored 17 times en route to the League Cup final, with nine different City players scoring in this year's competition (plus one own goal). However, both teams have scored in each of City's five League Cup games this season.

Six of Liverpool's nine League Cup goals on the way to the final came in one game - in their 6-1 demolition of Southampton in the quarter finals.

Kevin De Bruyne has scored in all four rounds of the League Cup this season for City.

All three of the goals Liverpool have conceded in this year's competition have come before half-time.

Both teams have scored in all four of Liverpool's visits to the new Wembley Stadium.

The last eight meetings in all competitions between these sides have produced 32 goals, with both teams finding the net in each match.

Two of the League Cup finals at the new Wembley Stadium have gone to penalties, with Man United beating Tottenham in 2009, before Liverpool's triumph over Cardiff in 2012.

There has been at least one goal in each half in 10 of the last 11 League Cup finals. The exception was Man United and Tottenham's 0-0 draw in 2009.