Arne Slot believes it’s an ‘interesting time’ for his Liverpool side to be facing Manchester City, but is not underestimating the Premier League champions.
The Reds welcome City to Anfield full of confidence after beating Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday; a result that extends Slot’s record to 17 wins and just one defeat from his first 19 games as Liverpool boss.
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Things couldn’t be more contrasted for City, who are on an unprecedented six-game winless run that included a five-game losing streak. The latter was only ended by a 3-3 draw against Slot’s former club, Feyenoord, that saw City concede three goals in the final 15 minutes to blow a 3-0 lead.
With all that in mind, it’s no surprise to see Liverpool made massive favourites by most on Sunday. In fact, another win would see the Reds move 11 points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table.
Despite the apparent mismatch, Slot still holds an immense amount of respect for City, who he maintains are the best team in England and cannot be underestimated.
“I would like to welcome Pep Guardiola, his staff and the players and supporters of Manchester City to Anfield. In terms of trophies won, there is no question that City have been a dominant force in English football for several seasons. Yes, they are our rivals, but even within this rivalry we can definitely find room to respect their achievements and qualities,” Slot wrote in his matchday programme notes.
“It is an interesting time to play City because so many are questioning them at the moment. I am not one of them. This is not to ignore their recent results, because clearly they have not been of the usual standard, but City still have one of the best managers in the world – if not the best manager in the world – numerous top-class players and a culture of success, which means they cannot be written off even in times of adversity.
“To be very clear, they remain one of the best sides not only in this country but also in the world and we have prepared for this fixture on that basis. Of course, we get to take our own belief into the game and we will definitely do that, but we also arrive with the knowledge that our performance will have to be as good, if not even better, than it was on Wednesday night.”
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