Key battlegrounds are Labour seats in Belle Vale, Croxteth, Central and Clubmoor, while the Lib Dems will have to fight hard to keep Princes Park and Kensington and Fairfield.
The Liberal group of three seats may play a significant part in the shake-up after recruiting anti-demolition campaigners to stand in regeneration areas.
Cllr Warren Bradley took over from Cllr Storey as council leader in December and is now relishing his first chance to lead his party to the polls.
The Lib Dems hold 60 out of 90 council seats, and will try to defend 20 of them on May 4.
Cllr Bradley said: "We are fighting on so many fronts that we have to make sure we hold on to what we have got. If we do that as the ruling group, it will be an excellent result.
"But we are also going for Croxteth, Central and Belle Vale in particular and we have good workers out there in those wards.
"Liverpool has a unique political scene and it does not really matter what happens nationally. We took control not long after Labour won the general election.
"We do not take the electorate for granted and the day we do will be the day we regret, because we will be shown the door."
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