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Liverpool and Manchester City renew acquaintances on Sunday in what has become the Premier League’s most illustrious fixture over the last decade.
It’s a rivalry that feels fresh yet retains all the intensity and stature of a classic. Arne Slot compared the meetings to La Liga’s El Clasico during Friday’s press conference, and only the great Manchester United vs Arsenal tussles of yesteryear can rival the fixture in the pantheon of Premier League showdowns.
That series of fixtures, while more bellicose and visceral, perhaps lacked the worldwide appeal of Liverpool’s encounters with City. In many ways, it’s symbolic of the Premier League’s evolution over the last 20 years. These contests between Liverpool and City have often pitted two of Europe’s best against each other, led by elite foreign coaches drawn by the league’s global pull. They have also been played against a backdrop of mutual respect.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, Pep Guardiola’s 1000th as a manager, the Catalan said he could not choose a better opponent to face for the milestone occasion. “Liverpool, especially under Jurgen, has been my biggest rival in this country. It could not be better, to be honest. The best in the universe decide this.”
Klopp responded in kind with a heart-warming message congratulating Guardiola, even if he won’t be the man in the opposition dugout at the weekend.
Of course, behind the scenes, relations have not been so pleasant between the clubs at boardroom level, while bus attacks, tragedy chants and the decades-long territorial rivalry between those inhabiting the northern English cities means the supporters have never seen eye to eye.
Yet, the emergence of a new challenger could somewhat dilute the hostilities this weekend.
In fact, there’s an argument this is the least momentous league meeting between the clubs since January 2018.
Collectively, it may be the weakest the two clubs have been since Guardiola’s first campaign at the Etihad, when both he and Klopp were still building their all-conquering sides.
After last season’s downturn, City is slowly rebuilding. There are flickers of the old juggernaut, but it is yet to fully convince. Likewise, Liverpool flattered to deceive for the early weeks of the 2025/26 term before those fortuitous results dried up.
Two impressive wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid at Anfield have removed some angst among supporters, but this is increasingly feeling like a transitional season after a summer of change.
In that power vacuum, Arsenal has stamped its authority. It spurned the chance to establish a nine-point lead on Saturday as it suffered a rare blip at the Stadium of Light, but few bet against the Gunners to be crowned champions.
Slot and Guardiola likely celebrated that result, and it may ease the pressure somewhat ahead of Sunday, even if both coaches know the North-West’s hold on the title is slipping away.
The only two title-winning managers in the league must accept a third could join that elite cohort in May. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal has surpassed the bluff of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United or Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur; this is a bona fide champion in waiting.
That changes the dynamic around Sunday’s game. Does it make it even more crucial not to drop points?
Regardless, both managers cut relaxed figures in Friday’s press conferences. Guardiola joked about his coaching accomplishments, whether he’d do another 1000 games, and teased journalists about the joy of facing 2,000 rounds of questions over the years.
Slot, meanwhile, made four humorous remarks to those at Friday’s media briefing, even poking fun at an Everton fan about his knowledge of losing runs.
Both have the medals and experience to justify that calm exterior; That composure could prove crucial against an Arsenal side desperate to end its 22-year wait for a title. Or should Slot and Guardiola fear the Gunners’ insatiable desire?
Either way, both know that victory on Sunday won’t dent their biggest challenger’s title hopes. That is a different dynamic for what has long been the Premier League’s star attraction.
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