City threatened a top-four finish two years ago before falling away in dismal fashion during the final third of the season.

By contrast, Liverpool have been heavily involved in the battle for Champions League qualification in each of Benitez’s previous five seasons, experience the Spaniard believes will hold his team in good stead during the final 12 Premier League games of the campaign.

“We have managed the pressure well,” he says. “But now Tottenham, Villa, City and ourselves are in a position where we have to keep going until the end. Maybe one game can be a big difference, so it’s important to manage the pressure and maybe our experience can help.

“Our experience of having been there already could be important. It depends on the players and if they can manage things well. In the last four of five years we have done well in various competitions, so this can hopefully help us.

“You have to stay patient. In every single game, you have to do the right thing. If you are nervous you will make mistakes.

“The message is very clear. We have to have a plan and everybody needs to know what to do. But it depends on the players and if they are nervous or not.”

Tomorrow’s trip to Eastlands represents Liverpool’s final game against their three nearest challengers, with a March visit to Manchester United and a home clash in May against Chelsea their only other fixtures against teams in the top seven.

City, though, appear to have the more difficult run-in with games against title challengers Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal along with fourth-place rivals Tottenham and Aston Villa to come.

But Benitez says: “For every game now until the end of season, it’s important we don’t make too many mistakes. That is obvious.

“The first game will be the most important because it’s against them (City). It doesn’t matter if you beat them if you then go on and lose one or two more games. We need to do everything right in this game and for the rest of the season.

“The most important thing for us is not to concentrate on them, but on us. Maybe next year another team will have problems and it won’t be City against Liverpool, but someone else.

“But it’s clear that if we get into the top four, then City, Tottenham and Villa will have more problems and will have to push harder if they want to be there.

“Maybe we will be favourites for fourth if we win on Sunday. But there are still plenty of games to go, so we need to keep calm and do our job.”

Benitez expects a more attractive encounter than Thursday’s Europa League clash against Unirea Urziceni, when Liverpool required a late David Ngog header to ensure a slender first-leg advantage.

City will be without Carlos Tevez for tomorrow’s game, but Benitez believes there is enough strength in depth in Mancini’s squad to accommodate the absence of the Argentine.

“City are an attacking team and we have to attack too, I think it will be a more open game than Thursday,” he says. “Tevez is a good player and doing well but they have signed a lot of quality and have enough players in the squad to replace him with a good player.

“If Tevez isn’t there and they miss him then we’ll be pleased, but they have a squad of quality.

“We will be going there to win. We will try to attack. How do we win? By scoring one more legal goal than them.”