Both vying for outright control of the Premier League title race, Liverpool and Manchester City headline this weekend's action at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
The top-of-the-table showdown will see Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola face off for the final time in a Premier League setting, although it is still possible for both managers to cross paths once more in the FA Cup final.
The hosts - who hold a one-point advantage over their Manchester counterparts - come into the clash on the back of seven straight wins, most recently decimating Sparta Prague 5-1 in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
Meanwhile, Guardiola's troops have prevailed in each of their last five matches in all competitions and cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League in midweek, defeating Copenhagen 6-2 on aggregate.
With an array of world-class talent on show, and a multitude of other top performers watching on from the treatment room, Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads, using only players expected to be available for the match.
As Alisson Becker - who would have waltzed into this XI - battles back from a knee problem, Caoimhin Kelleher has donned the gloves to magnificent effect, in particular proving his capabilities in one-on-one situations as he bids to finally become number one at Anfield or another club. However, only Arsenal's David Raya (nine) can better Ederson's eight clean sheets in the 2023-24 Premier League, and the City man was a simple pick to guard the goal.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold also occupying a bed in the medical bay and Conor Bradley far from the finished product - despite his multitude of excellent displays this term - there was minimal competition for the right-back spot, as Kyle Walker - still as intimidating as ever at the age of 33 - lines up in defence. However, the man level with Alexander-Arnold on 58 Premier League assists, the most for a defender in the competition's history, is given the nod on the left, as Andrew Robertson fends off Josko Gvardiol, Joe Gomez and Nathan Ake despite his injury woes this term.
Flaunting his aerial excellence in both boxes - see last month's EFL Cup final - Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk is arguably in the Player of the Year conversation and heads into the weekend with two goals and two assists from 25 top-flight outings, not to mention a league-high 112 aerials won and success rate of 84.2% from such duels off the ground. Alongside the Dutchman, Man City cornerstone Ruben Dias leads the league in progressive carrying distance (5,442 yards), and has made 176 passes into the final third, only inferior to Rodri (268) and Declan Rice (204). John Stones and Ibrahima Konate - who is a major doubt with injury - were honourable mentions.
An aforementioned midfielder acts as our engine room screen in this 4-3-3 shape, as Rodri continues to enhance his reputation as one of the planet's finest fulcrums. As well as amassing a praiseworthy six goals and six assists, the Spaniard has made the most touches, the most progressive passes, the second-most goal-creating actions - behind Ollie Watkins - and won the most points per game of any player during another astonishing year in the Premier League.
As much as Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have impressed during their debut campaigns in Liverpool shirts, it is an entirely sky blue-clad midfield with the inevitable inclusions of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. The effervescent former has 10 direct goal involvements to his name in the 2023-24 top-flight season - six of his own and four assists - while also sitting in the top 10 for shot-creating actions and progressive carries. In contrast, De Bruyne's injury-hit season means that the Belgian does not rank highly in any statistical category, but the 32-year-old has four assists to his name since battling back from that severe hamstring problem and remains the man to suppress if the supply line to Man City's attackers is to be cut off.
Jeremy Doku is touch-and-go for this match with a muscle injury, but with Mohamed Salah recently battling back from his second such issue of the year, the Egyptian was one of the first names on the sheet. Fifteen goals and nine assists have come Salah's way during another exceptional individual season, and the ex-Chelsea man has regularly haunted the boys in blue, either scoring or assisting in each of his last seven Premier League games against Guardiola's men. On the opposite flank, Phil Foden's influence on the Citizens continues to grow exponentially, and the England international - making a strong case to cement a starting role for the Three Lions at Euro 2024 - moved onto 11 top-flight goals for the season with his brilliant brace versus Manchester United last weekend.
Prior to Foden's one-man show against Man United, Erling Haaland added another unbelievable miss to his ever-growing collection, and his latest was potentially the worst of the lot, as he cleared the bar from a yard out with the goal at his mercy. However, in true Premier League Golden Boot winner fashion, the Norwegian responded with his 18th of the top-flight season in the dying embers - thereby ensuring a two-goal lead over Watkins at the top of the scoring charts - and was a straightforward pick over Darwin Nunez, despite the Uruguayan's own crucial contributions in recent months.
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Ben Knapton
