Liverpool are undoubtedly the team to play against at the moment as a litany of issues continues to plague Jurgen Klopp’s men ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
Nonetheless, Pep Guardiola remains convinced that the Reds will still provide ‘the biggest test we can face in England’
“It is always [a huge test],” the Spaniard was quoted as saying by the Sky Blues’ official website.
“But after the game (against Southampton), I am really, really tired.
“After three games (in seven days), I don’t have any intention to think about Liverpool, I will think about Copenhagen, and we want to finish at the top of the group.
“After Copenhagen I have four days to prepare for the game in Anfield.
“But I don’t have to tell you how competitive it will be – the biggest test we can face in England.”
It’s a statement that one can be sure will invite more than a few raised brows across the fanbases of the English top-flight.
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The end of Virgil van Dijk’s impressive home record awaits?
Though our current form shouldn’t have supporters overly confident about a positive result against the incumbent champions, even with the game being hosted at L4, Jurgen Klopp won’t be accepting an ounce of defeatism ahead of the Cityzens visit to Merseyside.
Coming up against an opponent that has helped push us to reach heights previously thought unthinkable in the English game, the hope will be that the challenge is enough to inspire a dramatic improvement from our out-of-form stars.
That’s perhaps one hope too far, though another loss in a week’s time is far from guaranteed at this stage.