- Liverpool and City will do battle in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon
- They have been two close rivals over the years with Reds current league leaders
- This Man City team is DONE and Pep Guardiola has been sleeping on the job – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Phil Foden has praised Liverpool and Manchester City‘s rivalry for producing the ‘highest standard’ Premier League games he has seen.
The two heavyweights will do battle again on Sunday afternoon in the latest episode of a rivalry has that seen several title clashes in both sides’ bids to win the league and a number of thrillers on the pitch.
City, for once, are not going into the game as favourites, with Pep Guardiola‘s side without a win in six and staggeringly out of form, losing five of those matches including their last three in the Premier League.
And there may be no tougher place to go on that run right now than Anfield, with the Reds flying under Arne Slot, looking to go nine points clear at the top of the table and also top of the Champions League.
It is perhaps a contrast to recent years, which has seen City and Liverpool be the top two sides in the county, often battling it out for the league title.
And Foden, speaking ahead of Sunday’s game, was full of praise for both teams for ensuring matches between the two have been of such high quality.
Phil Foden has praised Liverpool and Manchester City’s rivalry over the last few years
Foden said matches between the two sides have produced the ‘highest quality’ Premier League games he has seen
The two teams will do battle again this afternoon in a crunch top flight fixture at Anfield
‘[They have] produced the highest standard I’ve seen in the Premier League,’ Foden told The Times, via the Independent.
‘[Liverpool] is the game I look forward to. These are the games you live for,’ he added.
He also praised some Reds stars of the Jurgen Klopp era, which saw Liverpool win one Premier League title and finish second to City on two occasions.
Asked who the most difficult opponent of his career has been, the England star said: ‘It’s hard to say one player, but if I had to say a team it would be Liverpool when Mane, Salah, Firmino, were together. Their team was sensational.’
‘The way they pressed. That was the toughest game, when we used to play them. Over a long period, Liverpool have been the ones that challenged us the most.’
Klopp led Liverpool between October 2015 and the end of last season, leaving the club with a plethora of trophies including one Premier League title and one Champions League.
When Arne Slot took over in the summer, it was expected that there would be a period of adaptation, but the Reds have only kicked on and are now fighting on all fronts this year.
‘They look frightening,’ Foden said of Liverpool under Slot. ‘They’ve gone under the radar a bit because everyone was talking about City and Arsenal but we know how good they are.
Foden added that Liverpool ‘look frightening’ this season under new manager Arne Slot
The Reds are bidding to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League on Sunday
‘[Sunday’s match] is going to be a challenge and we’re up for it.’
The England star also backed his own side to turn their fortunes around, adding: ‘The hunger is definitely still there. It’s about just getting over it.
‘I’m pretty sure we’ll be OK once we start picking up the results again.’
