City bid to cut the gap

London - Manchester City's European adventure stalled with a 2-1 home loss to Barcelona and a sizeable speed bump in the shape of a Premier League trip to in-form Liverpool on Sunday could all but derail their trophy aspirations this season.

Champions City, out of the League and FA Cups, are five points adrift of leaders Chelsea, but could cut the deficit to two with the West London club playing Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final on Sunday.

Despite boasting an expensively assembled squad, City went four league games without victory in the absence of midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure on African Nations Cup duty.