Arguably two of the best managers in the world resume their rivalry in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City face Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool at Anfield.
The two coaching masterminds of their generation will meet for the 22nd time this weekend and head into the fixture with identical head-to-head records, winning nine games each and drawing the other three.
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Each of the last four Premier League titles have been won by either the Reds or the Citizens, and they are both set to battle it out once against this campaign.
Here, Sports Mole take a look at five memorable encounters between Liverpool and Man City under the tutelage of Klopp and Guardiola respectively.
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester City – December 31, 2016
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Understandably, the first Premier League showdown between Guardiola and Klopp was hyped immensely in the pre-match build-up, however it turned out to be a slightly underwhelming New Year's Eve contest.
Georginio Wijnaldum's eighth-minute header was enough to separate the two sides at Anfield – who had just three shots on target combined – and helped Klopp secure his fifth victory against Guardiola, having previously won four times in charge of Borussia Dortmund against the Spaniard's former club Bayern Munich.
That defeat saw City slip ten points behind the then-leaders Chelsea, who went on to win the 2016-17 title under Antonio Conte. The Citizens finished third that season, just two points ahead of the Reds in fourth.
Manchester City 5-0 Liverpool – September 9, 2017
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The following year saw the two English giants lock horns in just the fourth game of the season, with Guardiola's men sending out a real statement of intent to their title rivals, as they came away with a comprehensive 5-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Sadio Mane's dismissal midway through the first half for a high challenge on goalkeeper Ederson, proved costly for the Reds, who were already trailing 1-0 from a Sergio Aguero strike.
Goals either side of half time from Gabriel Jesus extended City's advantage before substitute Leroy Sane scored a late double to seal their biggest win over Liverpool since 1937, with Klopp suffering his heaviest Premier League defeat up to that point.
City cruised to the Premier League title in 2017-18, Guardiola's first at the helm, and they became the first Premier League side in history to reach 100 points, breaking a plethora of records along the way.
Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City – April 4, 2018
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After their 5-0 thrashing in 2017, Klopp's Liverpool went on to win the next three meetings against Man City across all competitions, including an impressive 3-0 victory in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at Anfield.
A blistering first-half display from the Reds, with goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mane inside the first half hour, stunned Guardiola's side in front of an ecstatic crowd at Anfield, with the visitors failing to boast a single shot on target in the 90 minutes.
Klopp's men outclassed the Citizens in both legs, winning the second 2-1 a week later at the Etihad Stadium to secure a 5-1 aggregate victory. Liverpool went on to reach the Champions League final in Kyiv, but in the end were beaten 3-1 by perennial champions Real Madrid.
Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool – January 3, 2019
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Football games are often decided by the finest of margins and that was certainly the case in 2019, when City secured a crucial 2-1 victory on home soil, which ultimately proved to be the catalyst in clawing back a seven-point deficit to Liverpool to retain their Premier League title.
The Reds almost took the lead in the 18th minute but Mane's effort was miraculously cleared off the line by John Stones, with goal-line technology showing the ball had failed to cross the line by just 1.12cm.
After Aguero's opener was cancelled out by Roberto Firmino, Sane restored City's advantage in the 72nd minute with a sweet left-footed strike past Alisson Becker, which brought an end to Liverpool's 20-game unbeaten league run.
An extremely tense encounter for both sides turned out to be a real classic between Guardiola and Klopp, with the Spaniard coming out on top on this occasion.
Liverpool 1-4 Manchester City – February 7, 2021
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Last season in a truly unique campaign, an eagerly-anticipated clash between Premier League holders Liverpool and Man City was played behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The lack of support from the Anfield faithful was clearly felt by the Reds, who were comfortably beaten 4-1 by the Citizens, thanks to an exceptional performance from Phil Foden as well as a two disastrous second-half blunders from Alisson.
A brace from Ilkay Gundogan as well as strikes from Raheem Sterling and Foden helped City claim their first triumph at Anfield since 2003 and Guardiola to his first as a manager on Liverpool's home turf.
Oliver Thomas
