5 players who will decide Liverpool vs Manchester City first leg

Liverpool and Manchester City fans all over the world are eagerly awaiting the Champions League quarter-finals between the two English top flight teams. While none of the PL fans wanted only two English sides to face off this soon in the Champions League, the excitement for the game scheduled for Wednesday night is undeniable.

This has been the best season for Manchester City by far and they have been on a roll since the start. While their Premier League triumph is inevitable, they were recently defeated in their last match against Liverpool (3-4) in January breaking their unbeaten run.

The first leg will be played on the home ground of the Merseysiders and the game will be featuring many big players of the EPL who can decide the outcome of the game on their own.

Right on this note, let us look at the five players who will be the keys to deciding the first leg between Liverpool and Manchester City.

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#5 Aymeric Laporte

Aymeric Laporte will be dealing with Mohamed Salah

Manchester City has signed the young French defender, Aymeric Laporte in the January transfer window of 2017. The former Athletic Bilbao man has settled well into Pep Guardiola's system and is likely to cement his place in City's backline for years to come.

Despite being just 23 years old, he has made over 200 appearances in his club football career and is on the cusp of breaking through the French national team. He played four Premier League games for City till now and won all of them. He is yet to make a defensive error for the Cityzens.

Aymeric Laporte will be given the task of handling the sensational Mohamed Salah and if he achieves success in doing so then, Manchester City can ponder their chances of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.

#4 Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk needs to be at his best against Manchester City.

Virgil van Dijk is justifying his huge price tag with his superb performance and he certainly looks like a player who could end Liverpool's defensive woes.

The newly-appointed Dutch captain adds composure to the backline and also brings the team together with his leadership qualities. He has made 1.3 tackles and has completed 5.8 clearances per game since his move to Anfield.

Manchester City is an attacking side and is likely to cause trouble to the defence. Van Dijk and Co. need to be at their best in order to prevent City from causing serious damage to their hopes of progressing to the next round.

#3 Leroy Sane

Manchester City will try to expose Liverpool's defence with Leroy Sane.

One of the best wingers in the PL right now, Leroy Sane is on the course of becoming the next superstar in football.

The German international joined the Manchester-based club in the summer transfer window of the 2016-17 season and has been in a great form since then. He has scored nine goals this season and also provided 11 assists, which is second most among the players playing in the PL this season.

Liverpool has problems at the right-back position with both Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez unfit to play the game. Also, Trent Alexander-Arnold is too young to be a first-team regular. Manchester City will try to expose that side of their defence with the pace and skills of Leroy Sane.

#2 Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne has provided most assists in the Premier League

Manchester City has been the best team in the English top flight by a long distance this season and Kevin De Bruyne is among the best players on that team.

The Belgian international has been a revelation since his move to the Etihad's and has provided 57 assists across all competitions in the last three seasons in Manchester. He is among the PL top assist providers this season and has already assisted 15 Manchester City goals.

He is City's main creative force and will play a vital part against Liverpool. He is capable of unlocking any defence in the world and the Cityzens needs to build their game around him in order to trouble the Merseysiders.

#1 Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah has already scored 29 goals in the Premier League this season.

Mohamed Salah is enjoying a brilliant season this term and has already scored 29 league goals since his move to Anfield in the summer transfer window of 2017.

His pace, directness, and finishing skills proved handy for the opponents this campaign and even the best defenders in the Premier League find it difficult to handle him. He is capable of deciding the outcome of the match on his own and is unstoppable whenever he is in his top form.

He was among the goal-scorers when Liverpool ended Manchester City's Premier League unbeaten run in January. He will be Liverpool's main man this time as well and they will be needing him in his top form if they want to achieve a positive result against Pep Guardiola's side.