Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp fires warning to Pep Guardiola ahead of Man City clash

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has fired a warning to his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola ahead of the crunch Premier League clash on Sunday – with the German admitting his burning desire to beat the Spaniard is what fuels him. The duo have been title rivals for the last four seasons, with City prevailing twice and Liverpool claiming their first Premier League trophy since its inception in 1992 in the 2019-20 campaign.

But ties between the two always arrive with a huge importance, with the pair being the definitive runaway leaders in the league. A win for either team would put them in the driving seat ahead of the remaining seven games that follow.

The Reds have won every league game since they drew 2-2 at Chelsea on January 2. But that could change as they aim to defeat a superb City side in east Manchester.

And Klopp admitted his desperation to beat the City boss ahead of their game on Sunday is what has fuelled Liverpool’s title charge. “I always wanted to be the coach of the team who can beat the best team in the world,” said Klopp.

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“What I say about City, I really mean. Pep is the best coach in the world – no problem with that – but I always wanted to be the coach of the team who can beat the best team in the world.

“And actually I achieved that as well, somehow – and now we have to make sure Sunday is the day. There is a little bit of work to do but we have time and nothing else to do, so let’s give it a try.”

Liverpool were as far as 14 points behind – albeit with two games in hand – after City beat Chelsea back in mid January. But their unbeaten run since then – alongside City dropping eight points in that time frame – has seen the title end up in their hands as long as they leave the Etihad with all three points.

And Klopp has reassured his side that even without a win, they have done a monumental job at putting up a title claim. “We knew it was 14 points but we didn’t care, we just had to win as many points as possible until the end of the season,” he continued.

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