Premier League champions Manchester City return to the scene of their worst defeats of last season when they take on title rivals Liverpool in a highly-anticipated clash at Anfield on Sunday.
City were beaten twice by Jurgen Kloppโs team on Merseyside โ a 4-3 defeat in the league and a 3-0 reverse in the Champions League quarter-final, first leg.
The matches were superb entertainment for the neutral fan and another high-octane affair is expected on Sunday.
Both teams have made unbeaten starts to the domestic season with six victories from seven games and 19 points each โ Pep Guardiolaโs side are top of the table thanks to a better goal difference.
The manner of Liverpoolโs victories, ripping apart Cityโs defence with their high pressing and high-speed forward line, left the impression that the Reds may have Cityโs number.
โThese are the games you want to win. They are a team in form and at Anfield, we know this will be a difficult game for us,โ City captain Vincent Kompany said.
โBut I think this City side has shown in the past that we are always up for these games,โ he added.
In January, Liverpool led 4-1 before a late City attempted comeback yielded two goals in the last 10 minutes, with all three of Kloppโs forwards โ Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino โ on target.
That front-line hasnโt quite hit the heights of last season yet with Salah in particular lacking sharpness, but in Xherdan Shaqiri and Daniel Sturridge, whose spectacular late goal earned a point at Chelsea last week, Klopp has options from the bench.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp meanwhile insists they cannot use their intense schedule as an excuse heading into the top-of-the-table clash.
Wednesdayโs 1-0 Champions League defeat against Napoli was as concerning as it was disappointing. Losing to a 90th-minute goal will have upset Klopp, but more worrying was the number of players who underperformed.
Sundayโs visit of the defending Premier League champions is both clubsโ seventh match in 23 days between the September and October international breaks.
โIt is a tough game, absolutely,โ said Klopp, whose side last season drew six of their 12 fixtures immediately after a Champions League tie.
โIt is absolutely intense since the last international break. We cannot change that so we have to make sure we are ready.
โWe donโt have to think about intensity. We have three days to recover and then we will face Man City.
โIt wouldโve been difficult anyway at any time of the season, it is always difficult, but letโs have a look how the players are after the game and then we will prepare.
โThen we have our crowd at our backs. You could see Napoli used the atmosphere and we couldnโt calm it down, but on Sunday it will be 100 percent different.โ
Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho can ill-afford another poor result for his struggling Manchester United side when they face Rafa Benitezโs Newcastle at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Amidst reports of divisions in the camp, United have not won in their last four outings in all competitions and are 10th in the Premier League, nine points adrift of the top two.
Third-placed Chelsea, who are also unbeaten, are away to Southampton on Sunday while Arsenal face promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage.
After a 4-2 Champions League defeat to Barcelona at Wembley on Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur, depleted by injuries, host second-bottom Cardiff City.
