Javier Mascherano does not believe that Sunday's meeting of Manchester City and Liverpool will be a decisive game in the battle for fourth place in the Premier League.
Roberto Mancini's side currently occupy the final Champions League spot ahead of Sunday's game at Eastlands with Liverpool one point behind having played a game more than City.
Tottenham and Aston Villa are also within three points of City and Mascherano feels that Liverpool, who defeated Unirea Urziceni in the Europa League on Thursday night, cannot strike a decisive blow at the weekend.
"I think it's an important game but if any team lost, nothing will happen," Mascherano told the club's official website. "There are still a lot of games to play so it will be an important game but it will decide nothing."
Liverpool have endured a difficult season in the league under Rafael Benitez, losing eight games to slip well off the title pace. City, meanwhile, are unbeaten at Eastlands and Mascherano is expecting a difficult game for the Reds.
"We have a very important game on Sunday so we will try to keep focus from now until Sunday on the Premier League and then we will think about the Europa League," he said. "We are one point behind them and some teams are very close to us so it's important to get the three points.
"We have to win but we cannot lose our heads. We have to go there thinking about winning but we have to play a very good game from the beginning. Obviously when you want to win you have to go forward but you have to be careful about the counter attack because they have some very good players so we have to be clever.
"I think from the arrival of Roberto Mancini has improved them a lot. They won a lot of games in a row, then they lost some points but at the end (of the season), it is positive for them so maybe they will be more organised, more clinical and more direct so we will see."
Roberto Mancini's side currently occupy the final Champions League spot ahead of Sunday's game at Eastlands with Liverpool one point behind having played a game more than City.
Tottenham and Aston Villa are also within three points of City and Mascherano feels that Liverpool, who defeated Unirea Urziceni in the Europa League on Thursday night, cannot strike a decisive blow at the weekend.
"I think it's an important game but if any team lost, nothing will happen," Mascherano told the club's official website. "There are still a lot of games to play so it will be an important game but it will decide nothing."
Liverpool have endured a difficult season in the league under Rafael Benitez, losing eight games to slip well off the title pace. City, meanwhile, are unbeaten at Eastlands and Mascherano is expecting a difficult game for the Reds.
"We have a very important game on Sunday so we will try to keep focus from now until Sunday on the Premier League and then we will think about the Europa League," he said. "We are one point behind them and some teams are very close to us so it's important to get the three points.
"We have to win but we cannot lose our heads. We have to go there thinking about winning but we have to play a very good game from the beginning. Obviously when you want to win you have to go forward but you have to be careful about the counter attack because they have some very good players so we have to be clever.
"I think from the arrival of Roberto Mancini has improved them a lot. They won a lot of games in a row, then they lost some points but at the end (of the season), it is positive for them so maybe they will be more organised, more clinical and more direct so we will see."
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