Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has called Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp the biggest managerial adversary of his career.
The Reds visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday lunchtime for the latest instalment of a classic rivalry that has so often gone a long way to deciding the destination of the Premier League title.
City go into the game one point ahead of Klopp's side, who look their most realistic title challengers, even if Guardiola says Arsenal and Tottenham are also in the race.
Guardiola has had some battles over the years, notably with Jose Mourinho, but says Klopp has made him a better manager.
Asked if the German was his biggest rival, he said: "Yes, by far. Because we have faced each other a thousand million times.
"Absolutely, he made me better, he helped me reflect on a lot of things with the problems they have created for us, it’s part of when you are many years in this business, him and his teams, here and Dortmund have always been big rivals, good games for both, both teams have a positive approach to the games and always attractive.
"I’m pretty sure he made me a better manager through his teams, and of course, the way we play for them is good with the transitions, they have a lot of space in behind, they are fantastic with the runs, they are a fantastic team, fantastic legs, a top side, no doubt."
After a poor season last year, where they missed out on Champions League qualification, Klopp’s side look back to their best and are clear challengers for the title.
"Absolutely," Guardiola said. "Arsenal will be too, I see them as so, so solid. Spurs even, the two defeats they had lately, the feeling when I see the way they are playing and with one game a week, I think they will be there.
"Chelsea start to recover and have one game a week. I think the four or five contenders are there. I don’t know if Newcastle will join, maybe United will join us but many things can happen."
Klopp said that Saturday lunchtime's top-of-the-table clash with City is so exciting he would tune in to watch it from anywhere in the world, but added one game does not determine his team's title chances.
"It's not a test on how close we get to City, it's just a really super exciting game, I would watch it wherever on the planet," Klopp said.
"We have to prepare for it properly and we know we have to be at our best to get a chance. We will see."
Klopp's team have gone unbeaten in their last five games to climb to within a point of the leaders City in the tight title race.
"A lot of games we were good and deserved what we got," he said. "We needed to get the points.
"With City, I don't know 100%, but they got a point here, a point there, stuff like this, unexpected ones. That's the quality they have, the desire to win the next one that's pretty special."
City, who have 28 points after 12 games, have built a fortress at Etihad Stadium, winning 23 successive games there across all competitions.
"Man City are who they are and they're extremely strong and we have to be as strong as possible," Klopp said.
The game should feature the league's two most prolific strikers in City's Erling Haaland, who tops the scoring chart with 13 goals this season, three more than Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
Haaland, however, injured his ankle playing for Norway in a Euro 2024 qualifying game on 16 November and trained "with niggles" on Thursday, according to City manager Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool are one of only two clubs Haaland has not scored against in the top flight.
Klopp praised the "pretty special partnership" Salah and Darwin Nunez, who joined Liverpool from Benfica in June last year, have formed on the forward line. Nunez has assisted three of Salah's last seven Premier League goals.
"You can't become a Liverpool player if you're not football-smart," Klopp said. "Darwin and Mo look for each other but it's not like they cut out the other boys. It's just a different way of playing.
"Mo supports the boys. Darwin came here, big expectations, and Mo probably understood the situation best and saw his potential and wanted to help him. Without having the longest conversation, that was for sure the start of a pretty special partnership."
Nunez scored three goals in two games for Uruguay during the recent international break.
Additional reporting: Reuters
Follow a live blog of Manchester City v Liverpool from 12.15pm Saturday on www.rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app
