Jurgen Klopp has hailed Liverpool and Manchester City’s current rivalry as ‘massive’.
Sunday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium will see the Premier League’s top two sides aiming to take an upper hand in yet another exhilarating title race.
One point separates the teams in the table as well as in their cumulative tallies since the start of 2018/19, with City shading the Reds by 338 to 337.
And Klopp believes that closeness reflects the competitive drive which he and Pep Guardiola have brought out of their respective North West counterparts.
He said: “I was surprised about the numbers to be honest, but it’s massive.
“They wouldn’t have the points they have if we wouldn’t be there and the other way around the same. We obviously push each other properly, that’s the truth. It’s nice.
“If somebody would have asked me four years ago, ‘do you think that’s possible when you are that close?’ Not really.
“I know how people see us and them. Yes, they talk about us as a good team and all these kind of things.
“But City is considered as the best football team in the world and they’ve got one point more than us, what does that say? Exactly.
“I think as well they are the best football team in the world but they have onlhy one more point than us in this time.
“So obviously we did something right. I know that and I’m happy about that but it would be better if we had 20 points more in that period.
“We would probably have won more titles or more silverware but it’s all fine how it is. It’s the base we have created so let’s go from there.”