SUNDAY’S trip to Anfield is a match Pep Guardiola just simply cannot afford to lose.
Liverpool will go nine points clear by beating Manchester City in their crunch title clash.
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With a deficit like that — even in mid-November — Guardiola knows he would have a mountain to climb to win the Premier League.
The Reds have turned Anfield into a fortress and they haven’t lost there in 45 Premier League matches stretching back to April 2017.
That is an astonishing record and means they start this game as favourites despite City arriving as back-to-back champions.
You can expect a battle right to the final whistle.
Both teams showed how they can fight to the death with dramatic late wins at the weekend.
Jurgen Klopp’s side seem to have forgotten how to lose and went from 1-0 down at 87 minutes to coming away with three points at Aston Villa.
I’TS NO FLUKE
A telling moment came when Andy Robertson powered home his equalising header. There were no huge celebrations — instead Liverpool’s players simply grabbed the ball and raced back for the kick-off.
And a few minutes later they were celebrating their late, late winner from Sadio Mane.
Liverpool have become like Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United teams in the 90s.
Since the start of last season, the Reds have scored 23 goals in the final ten minutes of matches — the highest of any Prem team.
It is no fluke it keeps happening. Because they are so good and so fit, they wear the opposition players down and eventually they crack.
Liverpool just seem to find a way to make things happen.
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Klopp has obviously drilled his squad to scrap until the last minute — even the kids pegged Arsenal back to 5-5 in the 94th minute in their midweek Carabao Cup clash before winning the shootout.
The same goes for City, who just keep going and going.
They were relentless in chipping away at Southampton after falling a goal behind, before Kyle Walker completed their comeback.
So it is all set up for a belting match and Guardiola has already started the mind games.
By calling out Mane as a diver after his yellow card at Villa, he has already sent a message to the ref in the countdown to Sunday’s showdown.
CITY DEFENCE COULD BE KEY
It is very unusual for a manager to start talking about an issue that will affect next weekend’s match — especially as Liverpool and City have Champions League action before then.
Don’t be surprised to hear plenty more from both of them on this before they meet at Anfield.
The game could be won and lost on how City’s defence handle the formidable front three of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane.
Injured Frenchman Aymeric Laporte has been a massive loss.
The 34-year-old vastly-experienced Brazilian holding midfielder Fernandinho has been asked to drop back into central defence.
If he starts again, he could be in for a long afternoon on Merseyside.
GOT GINHO TONIC NOW
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JORGINHO was a lightning rod for frustrated Chelsea fans last season.
Now he’s emerged as one of the key men in Frank Lampard’s revolution.
So, what’s changed? Well, he’s started to pass it forward.
His assist for Tammy Abraham’s opener at Watford on Saturday is a contender for pass of the season.
Abraham knew it was coming, even if the Hornets’ defence didn’t.
As a centre-forward, it makes life so much easier having someone picking you out like that. Jorginho is on the front foot now and Chelsea have got themselves a different player.
WHY VARDY IS SO HARDY
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THAT’S 19 goals in 21 Premier League games for Jamie Vardy under Brendan Rodgers.
The Leicester striker became the first Prem player to reach ten goals this season when he struck at Crystal Palace yesterday. That is some strike-rate.
It took him until March to reach that figure last season. That was when Vardy was struggling for form under former Foxes boss Claude Puel.
Straight away Rodgers told Vardy he was the main man. They have been playing to his strengths ever since.
It helps that, in James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, he has talented creative players around him.
Vardy copped a fair bit of abuse from Palace fans, so it made scoring extra special.
