A month into Manchester City's brave new era, the phrase “big five” does not roll off the tongue with the ease that some imagined. These are heady times at the club, but, for all the excitement generated by their newfound wealth and the £34.2million signing of Robinho, Mark Hughes recognises that City need to prove they can be big-game hunters if the hype is to be sustained, let alone justified.

The visit of Liverpool tomorrow offers another yardstick by which Hughes can measure his team's progress, after the 3-1 home defeat by Chelsea last month, but the City manager is at pains to point out the difficulty in bridging the gap between the established top four - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United - and the rest.

“It's a big, big ask for us [to finish in the top four]],” Hughes said. “Yes, this match gives us an opportunity to make a statement, but we will need to play exceptionally well because Liverpool are on top form. We are a young team with a lot of guys who are good players but don't have a great deal of experience in the Premier League, so maybe some of them haven't quite understood the intensity of it yet.”

Vincent Kompany, the City midfield player, was undaunted by the challenge of facing Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain. “I have played against Zinédine Zidane,” he said. “I can give you names of opponents I have faced that would make you understand that, for me, this is just another game.”