Premier League: Klopp & Guardiola's historic, fierce rivalry continues

Premier League leaders Liverpool and defending champions Manchester City are set to face off in a much-anticipated clash on Sunday at Anfield. The build-up to the game has been far from friendly with both the clubs' managers taking subtle swipes at each other. As Sunday's clash is eagerly awaited, here's an interesting stat: Pep Guardiola has lost to Jurgen Klopp more than he has lost to any other manager. These two share quite a history indeed.

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Premier League: Pep Guardiola vs Jurgen Klopp

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The head-to-head Premier League record between Klopp and Guardiola is perfectly poised. Both men have won twice against each other and drawn twice. When the managers first met in England back in the 2016-17 season, Liverpool scraped a 1-0 win at home, courtesy of Georginio Wijnaldum's early header before they shared the spoils in Manchester.

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In the 2017-18 Premier League season, City and Liverpool met four times - twice in the Premier League and twice in the Champions League knockout stage. Sadio Mane's red card in the first league encounter led to a 5-0 demolition of Liverpool at the Etihad. A 4-3 win for Liverpool back at Anfield in January settled that score. A second-half onslaught by the Reds at home was enough despite some nervy defending and a late comeback by the eventual champions.

The drama was far from over as Liverpool showcased the best of their relentless attacking intensity, sweeping City away 3-0 at Anfield before following it up with a 2-1 triumph at the Etihad. 

Last season, with Liverpool again the main title challengers, Pep Guardiola's side were denied three points at Anfield as Riyad Mahrez's penalty miss during injury time ensured that the game ended in a draw. The reverse fixture saw City win the game thanks to Leroy Sane's effort off the post. Guardiola's men went on to become the Premier League champions once again.

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Coming back to this season, Pep Guardiola's side find themselves six points adrift of Liverpool heading into Sunday's clash. Guardiola would be desperate not to lose - a result that would be a massive blow to the Cityzens. As for Jurgen Klopp, he would be eager to settle the score after failing to beat Guardiola last season. 

It's pretty evident that Guardiola has had trouble facing Klopp's side time and time out again and not only in England but also during the managers' spells in Germany at Bayern Munich (Guardiola) and Borussia Dortmund (Klopp) respectively. Man City certainly do their manager a favour by giving him the bragging rights with a win and the team a better chance to win the Premier League this season as well.

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