Reds can celebrate game 1,000 with me

PEP Guardiola is ready for Manchester City to give Liverpool a fight that never arrived last season.

- By SIMON BAJKOWSKI

The two teams have gone toe-to-toe for most of Guardiola's decade in English football, but amid an injury crisis last year the Blues saw their standards fall.

Both games against Liverpool saw meek performances, with two goalkeepers and two academy players filling the bench for the Anfield defeat last December before four new signings for the March return failed to spark any improvement.

Things looked bleak again for City after five games of this campaign when they sat eight points behind an Arne Slot side that had enjoyed a perfect start to their title defence.

However, the Blues begin the weekend ahead in the table after a remarkable loss of form from Liverpool and will be looking to use their home advantage to pull further away.