Skrtel relishing City challenge

Martin Skrtel insists the challenge of keeping Manchester City's formidable strike force at bay at Anfield today fills him with excitement rather than fear.

Despite the absence of Argentina hitman Sergio Aguero, Roberto Mancini still has a host of attacking talent at his disposal in the form of Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko.

And it will be Skrtel's mission to subdue their attacking prowess in front of a packed Anfield in our first home game of the Barclays Premier League campaign.

"They don't make me nervous," Skrtel told Liverpoolfc.com. "They are great players and you have to respect them and their quality.

"But we believe in ourselves and we know we have quality of our own. Personally, I am always looking forward to playing against the players like the ones City have.

"It's always a tough challenge but I enjoy these games. You have to show that you are special if you are going to stop them and that's what I try to do in every game - and that's what I will do on Sunday.

"They were champions last season and they are one of the favourites this season but we are only focusing on ourselves. We've got our own targets and to achieve these we have to win games in the league, starting on Sunday.

"It will be a special day and it will be a great opportunity for us to show we are a better team than the one who played against West Brom."

City were only one of two teams to secure a better defensive record than the Reds in the league last time around.

And fellow defender Jamie Carragher highlighted the importance of Skrtel's partnership with Daniel Agger at the heart of the Reds' defence as the key factor behind the team's impressive record.

"It's nice to hear that from Jamie because he's one of the best centre-backs in the country," said Skrtel. "I really enjoy playing alongside Daniel. I think there is a good understanding between us and if we can carry on like this, I will be happy.

"But we've got more centre-backs in the squad. We have Jamie and Sebastian Coates as well, so whenever we play, I know we will be strong defensively."