Liverpool legend John Barnes says today's clash at Anfield will be a test of Manchester City's title credentials. Roberto Mancini's men have swept almost all before them on the domestic front - but the Liverpool legend wonders if they have the mental strength to recover from their Napoli defeat.
"Have City got the spirit, the togetherness, the desire?" he asked in the Sunday Mirror. "Forget about individual ability. That's what teams need.
"In the Premier League, certain players have got bigger than their team-mates, bigger than the manager. And once that situation arises, you can't win anything."
Barnes, who won two titles and two FA Cups at Liverpool, said: "We have seen them be a team when they win. But the real test is when they lose a game.
"Then we will see if they have what all great teams have - team spirit.
"City are the best team in the country when things are going well. But when things aren't going so well, will they have problems of character? I like the way Liverpool are being run now. But at City, with a billionaire who wants to spend his way to success, if it doesn't work, he spends more money.
"Money brings you great players, but we will see, through the course of the season, whether it brings team spirit. "