Pep Guardiola says Liverpool have been his “greatest rivals” and the perfect opposition as he prepares to take charge of his 1,000th match as a manager.
Manchester City face the defending champions at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with both sides looking to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal, who sit six points clear.
Since Guardiola’s arrival in England in 2016, City and Liverpool have dominated the league sharing the last eight titles between them. City have lifted six trophies, while Liverpool have claimed two.
The Spaniard, 54, has faced Liverpool 22 times during his career, winning seven, drawing seven, and losing eight. Last season, City were beaten twice by Arne Slot’s side.
Asked whether Liverpool have pushed him the most, Guardiola said:
“Absolutely. We pushed them to be better and they pushed us to be better that’s for sure.”
Guardiola’s managerial career spans 18 years and four clubs Barcelona B, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. He acknowledged that reaching his milestone against Liverpool holds special significance.
“If I had to choose one rival for this moment, it would be Liverpool,” he said. “Barcelona shaped me, Bayern was an incredible step, but here in England, especially with Jurgen, Liverpool have been our biggest rival. It couldn’t be better, to be honest.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot compared the upcoming fixture to El Clásico, which Guardiola experienced during his time in Spain.
“Barcelona vs Real Madrid the noise is a thousand times louder,” said Guardiola. “Here it’s calmer, you arrive with peace, do your job, and the atmosphere is still fantastic. Maybe we’ve helped create this rivalry over the last decade before it was United-Liverpool, didn’t we? But during Jurgen’s time and ours, it’s been the biggest, for sure.”
Guardiola also reflected on his respect for Jürgen Klopp:
“I enjoyed that healthy rivalry. We respected each other a lot. Jurgen made me think harder and work harder to beat him. I miss that.”
City are expected to be without midfielder Rodri, who continues his recovery from a hamstring issue after missing much of last season with a serious knee injury. The Spaniard has featured only eight times this term and was left out of the squad for the midweek Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” said Guardiola. “But we probably won’t take the risk. The international break is coming, and it’s still November. The most important part of the season is ahead of us, and we need him fully fit.”
