Pep Guardiola is ready for the challenge as he takes champions Manchester City to Liverpool for a crucial Premier League title showdown on Sunday.
City head to Merseyside trailing Jurgen Klopp’s side by a point for a match of huge significance at the top of the table.
Guardiola’s side go into the game as favourites to win the title for what would be a fourth successive season, and a sixth time in seven years, but their record at Anfield is poor.
City have won just once there in front of a crowd since 1981, and that was as long ago as 2003.
They did pull off a convincing 4-1 win three years ago but that was behind closed doors and the atmosphere will be considerably different this time.
“It’s the quality of their team,” said Guardiola when asked why City have struggled to win at the ground.
“The crowd too, of course, but especially the quality of the team. I think it will be nice because it always has been and we accept the challenge.”
Guardiola has tried to downplay the hype surrounding the fixture and refused to get drawn into the war of words that has erupted between some of the players in the build-up.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold this week claimed winning trophies means more to his club while City’s Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias responded by pointing out he could not know how it feels to win the treble.
Guardiola’s selection for the midweek Champions League stroll against FC Copenhagen, in which he made seven changes, suggested he had an eye on Anfield.
Yet he insists he did not turn his attention to Liverpool until after completing the job against the Danes, with City safely through to the quarter-finals for a seventh successive year.
Guardiola said: “Knowing we had three days until Sunday, we had time. I enjoyed the qualification for the Champions League and Thursday morning I started to think about Liverpool.
“We saw some details and the shape they attack is a little bit different from previous seasons, and the quality of some players and new players makes the game a little bit different.
“But the main patterns are the same. We know it quite well and I think they know us.
“There are just little details we have to adjust, for the quality of individual players they have.”
City are still without Jack Grealish due to a groin injury while Jeremy Doku, who missed the Copenhagen encounter, will be assessed.
Southgate: Man United speculation 'a complete irrelevance'
Gareth Southgate says speculation linking him with the Manchester United job is "a complete irrelevance" as his entire focus is on England's Euro 2024 campaign.
The England manager has been tipped as a contender to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford should United part ways with the Dutchman at the end of the season.
Southgate is due to be out of contract later this year, with suggestions that the upcoming European Championship finals will be his last tournament as Three Lions chief.
However, amid the talk over where he could end up later this year, the 53-year-old is not looking beyond the Euros.
"I've got one thing to focus on, and that's having as successful a tournament with England as possible," he told ITV News.
"Everything else outside of that is a complete irrelevance to me."
Asked specifically about the United links in a separate interview with BBC Sport, Southgate said: "There will always be speculation about managers.
"If you lose a couple of games, you're in trouble - you win a couple of games and it is a different agenda.
"But for me, [Euro 2024] is a brilliant opportunity. We're looking forward to the tournament. My focus is on how do we go a step further than we went in the last Euros."
Southgate has been England boss since 2016 and previously hinted he contemplated stepping down after the World Cup quarter-final loss to France in December 2022.
Despite the fact his deal expires in the next six months, Southgate insists that is not a concern ahead of the Euros in Germany.
"It's not an issue and never has been," Southgate said. "I have to deliver a successful tournament for England and there's enough work involved in that.
"I think everybody would expect that's where my focus should be."
Iraola signs 12-month contract extension with Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has committed his future to Bournemouth until 2026 by penning a one-year contract extension with the club, having enjoyed an excellent first season on the south coast.
Iraola left Rayo Vallecano to join Bournemouth after they parted company with Gary O'Neil last year, and after a difficult start to his tenure, he has overseen a tremendous campaign.
Bournemouth failed to win any of their first nine league games under Iraola before beating Burnley in late October.
Since that victory, only the current top four of Arsenal (65), Manchester City (64), Liverpool (58) and Aston Villa (48) have bettered the Cherries' tally of 45 points.
Their overall total of 48 for this campaign, meanwhile, is a new top-flight club record.
Though they were beaten 2-1 by Brentford on Saturday, they could still secure a top-half finish when they visit Chelsea for their final game on Sunday, should other results go their way.
Last week, Iraola was rewarded for his fine work with a nomination for the Premier League Manager of the Season award, alongside Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery.
On Monday, the club confirmed he had also penned a one-year extension to the deal he agreed last June, which was set to expire at the end of 2024-25.
"I'm very happy to sign the contract. For me, it is a matter of renewing the confidence from both sides," Iraola told the club's website.
"We have had a good experience with our first season together in the Premier League, and I am happy that both sides want to continue the relationship further."
Allegri says Juventus future will become clear in next two weeks
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said questions regarding his future will be resolved in the next couple of weeks after the Bianconeri's slump continued with Sunday's 1-1 draw with Salernitana.
Juve looked set for a humiliating Serie A loss at home to Stefano Colantuono's already-relegated side, only for Adrien Rabiot to equalise in stoppage time.
It was a fifth straight league draw for Allegri's side, who have slipped to fourth in Serie A, seven points behind second-placed Milan and level with Bologna in third.
Juve were neck-and-neck with recently crowned Scudetto winners Inter at the turn of the year, and their dismal end to the season has seen Allegri's position called into question.
Asked about his future on Sunday, Allegri said: "Just be patient a little bit longer, in 10 to 15 days you'll know what will happen next year.
"Anyone who has played football knows that even the great teams can experience a moment of difficulty when the games become tough. We will certainly have to grow."
Wednesday's Coppa Italia final against in-form Atalanta presents an opportunity for redemption.
"The final against a team like Atalanta that has grown a lot will certainly be balanced," Allegri said. "It's a one-off game and we will have to try to make as few mistakes as possible.
Regarding Sunday's match, the 56-year-old said the performance was not satisfactory but stressed the importance of avoiding defeat.
"We started reasonably well, then made a mistake in our decision-making. We became disjointed and we didn't hold our positions," he said.
"You can't lose a match like that, otherwise you risk never picking yourselves back up again."
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