Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his team are ‘alive’ and ready for next weeks huge trip to Anfield in the Premier League.
The English champions maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign domestically with a 2-0 against Brighton at the Etihad on Saturday, thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero.
The win took City back to the top of the table ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, who survived a scare to secure a late 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge yesterday.
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After the latest round of Champions League fixtures in midweek, both clubs will turn their attention to the heavyweight showdown next Sunday, which could have a huge impact on the title picture this term.
As BT Sport reports, Guardiola’s men have lost their last six matches against Liverpool at Anfield, but the Spanish boss insists that his side will be ready to buck that trend in seven days time, as he told reporters: “I believe too much in that team, in those guys. I know how they fight.
“Go to Anfield, win, lose, whatever. It’s a long time ago Man City was able to win at Anfield. What I want to see is the team alive, and we are alive.
“If they beat us three times, they are a good side. They lost the first game in the Carabao Cup (against Chelsea last week) but at Anfield they score a lot of goals, they don’t concede.”
Last season, Liverpool seemed to be the only team capable of going toe to toe with Man City, as they bested their opponents in three of their four contests over the year and knocked them out of Europe.
Despite those wins, the Citizen’s still strolled towards the Premier League crown, eventually finishing 19 points clear in first place and setting a new points record in the process.
Next week things might be different, but there seems to be even more at stake this time around purely because Liverpool finally look ready to mount a serious title challenge and if they win, it could speed up their current momentum even further.
That being said, City cannot be written off at any stage and no one would be surprised if Guardiola managed to get the better of Klopp to re-affirm his side’s position as England’s best.