As the highly anticipated Premier League summit clash between Liverpool and Manchester City looms, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expresses his eagerness to watch the game “wherever I am on the planet.” The match, scheduled for Saturday at the Etihad Stadium, promises to be a thrilling encounter between the dominant City, who have secured the title five times in the past six seasons, and Liverpool, the only team to interrupt City’s run in 2020.
Under Pep Guardiola’s leadership since 2016, the two football powerhouses have faced each other 14 times in the league, with City winning five matches and Liverpool emerging victorious four times. In the current season, City, winners of the treble, lead with 28 points from 12 games, while Liverpool closely follows with just one point behind.
Klopp, in a press briefing on Friday, emphasized the excitement surrounding the game, stating, “I would watch wherever I am on the planet because why wouldn’t you watch this game? It’s like everything there you need.” However, he also stressed the importance of proper preparation and the need for Liverpool to be at their best to seize the opportunity.
Responding to whether Liverpool versus City has surpassed their historic rivalry with Manchester United, Klopp mentioned, “From a sports point of view, it’s one of the most difficult games you can play for many years, since I’ve been here probably. But for a rivalry, you need longer and the fans decide that.”
Guardiola, addressing his own briefing, acknowledged the familiarity between the two teams after years of battling for supremacy in the league. He commented, “Jurgen has been at Liverpool for eight years, and of course, it’s not the same players since the start. He has rebuilt the team, but the idea is quite similar, and they have always been our best rivals.”
When asked about the stature of the Liverpool versus City fixture compared to Spain’s Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, Guardiola noted the differences and praised Klopp for making him a better manager through their teams’ encounters.
As the excitement builds for this crucial match, Guardiola mentioned that top-scorer Erling Haaland, who is one goal away from reaching 50 goals since joining the Premier League, has trained with some minor issues leading up to the game. Haaland had picked up a knock during Norway’s friendly against the Faroe Islands and sat out their subsequent draw with Scotland.
