Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will again face off this weekend as Manchester City host Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.
It will be the 28th clash between these elite managers; Liverpool boss holds a slight edge at present with 11 wins compared to his counterpart who has 10.
The visiting side are undeniably stronger than the Reds right now, especially considering they are top of the league this term. However, there is mutual respect between both managers heading into this game.
‘The strongest team in the world’ is how Klopp described his upcoming opponents in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
Guardiola meanwhile, acknowledges Klopp’s impact on his coaching prowess, stating; “Him and his teams, here and Dortmund, have always been big rivals. They are good games for both, positive approach and always attractive. He made me a better manager through his teams.”
The pair and their sides have dominated the English Premier League for the past six years, with all those League titles shared between the two sides. City has won five while Liverpool has won one .
Approaching the fixture on Saturday, Liverpool are second on log with 27 points and will hope to beat City to go top of the Premier League for the first time since May 2022.
For City, they have an opportunity to extend their lead atop of Liverpool to four points if they can secure a victory.
Team News
Pep Guardiola will hope to have Erling Haaland back fit after having missed Norway’s final Euro 2024 qualifier with Scotland owing to an ankle problem.
The players ruled out for this game for City are Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring), John Stones (thigh) and Matheus Nunes.
For Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara (hip), Stefan Bajcetic (calf) and Andrew Robertson (shoulder) will not be at Klopp’s disposal.
Probable Line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, Foden; Doku, Haaland, Grealish
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jota, Gakpo
