1) Let Liverpool have the ball
Despite only having 34 per cent of possession against Arsenal, Hull City came away with a point. They sat deep, let their opponents have the ball and invited the Gunners to try to break them down. And they were so close to executing the plan to perfection.
A similar tactic could pay dividends at Anfield on Saturday. The philosophy of Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool has changed dramatically since he took the reins in 2012. At first, Rodgers looked to play the patient possession game that served him so well at Swansea.
But last season, Liverpool developed into one of the most devastating counter-attacking sides in Europe. They are gung-ho, risk-takers and, on their day, incredibly exciting to watch.
So how do you counter the counter-attack? The logical answer would be to sit deep and deny them the chance to attack on the break. That tactic has already been successful for Aston Villa and West Ham this season.
There was a familiar pattern in both games. In the 1-0 home defeat to Villa, the Reds had a whopping 75 per cent of the ball but could only muster one shot on target. And in the 3-1 defeat at West Ham, they had 64 per cent, but were eventually well beaten.
Perhaps more telling are the possession stats from Liverpool's game at Tottenham. In the 3-0 win, which was easily their best performance of the season, they had only 40 per cent of the ball but managed an impressive 17 shots on target.
The lesson? Sit deep, let Liverpool have the ball and leave no gaps at the back for their pacey frontline to exploit.
2) Test out a nervy defence
It may sound like I'm contradicting myself, but City must attack the Liverpool backline whenever they get a chance. The Reds' defence was their Achilles heel last season and ultimately prevented them from winning a first Premier League title.
Liverpool conceded 50 goals last season, remarkable for a side that only finished two points off first place. Crystal Palace, who finished eleventh, conceded less.
If anything, their defence has actually looked worse this campaign. They have conceded 12 in eight Premier League games (which would equate to 57 over the season) and have managed only one clean sheet.
City should head to Merseyside full of confidence. They have scored twice in each of their last six games and are now a side that can pack a punch in the final third. The loss of Nikica Jelavic will be a big one, but Abel Hernandez coped just fine by himself at the weekend.
Hernandez looks like the man for the big occasion, having already netted against Man City and Arsenal. Another goal on Saturday would see his stock continue to rise. The centre-back partnership of Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren is yet to gel and Hernandez will fancy his chances.
3) Play on Champions League fatigue
Liverpool were outclassed by Real Madrid in mid-week and City are well-placed to exploit any mental and physical fatigue.
Although it is still early in the season, Liverpool have shown symptoms of a continental hangover. They lost 3-1 at West Ham after beating Ludogorets. They then laboured to a 2-1 home win over West Brom following their defeat at Basel.
Still, Curtis Davies sounded a warning today when he told the Mail: "Whenever good teams go through bad times, there's always a backlash. We don't don't want to be the team that gets them back on track. "It we can take our chances, like we did at Arsenal, we'll cause Liverpool problems."4) Stop Gerrard dictating from deep
Since joining from West Ham, Mohamed Diame has been a revelation. He netted his fourth goal in five starts at The Emirates and he will again be a key man on Saturday.
His battle with Steven Gerrard promises to be an intriguing one. Over the past year or so, Gerrard has been asked to dictate from deep and it will be up to Diame – and his fellow midfielders Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone – to deny Liverpool's talisman the space he loves to pick a pass.
The 34-year-old may not be the player he once was but he still possesses the ability to change a game in a heartbeat. He has also scored four goals against City, including a brace in the 2-2 draw at Anfield back in 2008.5) Deal with the goalkeeping crisis
After the injuries to Allan McGregor and Steve Harper, Eldin Jakupovic will be between the sticks against Liverpool. Jakupovic may be third choice but he is no rookie. He has featured in the Champions League and has also played international football for Switzerland. City's back three excelled at Arsenal and ensured Jakupovic had next to nothing to deal with. A similar performance on Saturday, even without Michael Dawson, would help ease any nerves.With young keeper Rory Watson making a big step up to the bench, Bruce will be desperate to see Jakupovic steady the ship and come through the game unscathed.
