Man City vs Liverpool is a fascinating tactical battle, believes Danny Murphy, and one key area decides it

Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy believes there's one key area that will decide the outcome of the Reds' blockbuster clash at Manchester City.

All eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium as Liverpool make the trip to on Saturday lunchtime to take on the Premier League champions, live and exclusively on talkSPORT.

The two Premier League giants are currently tussling it out at the top of the table.

City lead Liverpool by one point at the summit, meaning a win for either side could be crucial - even at this stage of the season.

Speaking ahead of the gargantuan fixture, ex-Liverpool star Murphy looked at how things will pan out tactically and there's one key area that could be the difference between victory and defeat for both sides.

The key area

"I think it will be a fascinating game because of the quality on show. A little bit disappointing that it is on at half 12.

"But only because of the tempo and quality that you want to see the game played at.

"Anyway, putting that aside, I think it is an intriguing game because what City have been doing recently is releasing one of the centre-halves into midfield, whether that be [Manuel] Akanji or [John] Stones."

Liverpool can exploit City with pace 

"I think what we saw at [the 4-4 draw against] Chelsea was if you have pace against them and a quick turnover, there is space to run into.

"If Liverpool have [Darwin] Nunez, [Luis] Diaz and [Mohamed] Salah up top, there is no one better equipped in utilising space in behind teams than those three.

"I don't see City changing at home what they have been doing. One of the centre-halves is released in midfield, which creates spaces.

"They are confident in keeping the ball and scoring goals themselves, the way City play. It is a great thing to watch."

But City can do the same to Liverpool 

"On the flipside, what you've got is Liverpool releasing Trent [Alexander-Arnold] in midfield from right-back.

"And if [Jeremy] Doku plays, with his amazing pace and directness, that is going to cause Liverpool a problem.

"If [Joel] Matip plays there and has to cover Trent, there's a lack of athleticism against Jeremy Doku.

"So there are all these little tactical things are going on."

Listen to full commentary of Manchester City vs Liverpool LIVE and exclusively on talkSPORT