Johnson hopes to exploit uncertainty

MANCHESTER City head to Liverpool tonight insisting it is not mission impossible to claim a place in the Carling Cup final.

City trail from the first leg a fortnight ago and are likely to be without Mario Balotelli through suspension, in addition to Vincent Kompany, plus Yaya and Kolo Toure, who are on African Nations Cup duty.

Yet Blues winger Adam Johnson believes the Reds' 1–0 advantage will create an uncertainty City have the players to exploit.

He said: “It's a tricky one for them. Do they try to attack us or try to defend against our quality players for 90 minutes?

“The thing is no matter who we play, we will create chances at some point. We beat them 3–0 at home, so we can score against them. No–one is expecting us to go through so the pressure is off for once and we can go there with freedom, play our football and have a go.

“It won't be easy, but we are quietly confident.”

Meanwhile, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon al–Mubarak has warned Carlos Tevez he will face further sanctions if he refuses to return from South America at the end of the transfer window.

“Carlos remains a player with contractual obligations to Manchester City for the next two–and–a–half seasons,” said Khaldoon.