Jurgen Klopp praises his fellow coach Pep Guardiola before the summit match between Liverpool and Manchester City: “He is the best.”

Klopp said: “I have a positive record against Pep. I have no idea how this happened,” considering 12 wins compared to “only” 11 for the Spaniard.

If league leaders Liverpool and chasers City are not pitted against each other in the FA Cup, the 30th encounter will be the last for now, as Klopp will retire at the end of the season.

“Pep has won a lot of titles. But when you meet him, it seems he hasn't won anything yet. He still has that greed, it's extraordinary. I know that because I do the same job. I recognize excellence when I see it,” said Klopp.

When it comes to trophies, Guardiola usually has the better end for himself. Even when Liverpool scored an impressive 97 points and suffered just one defeat in the 2018/19 season, City were one point better.

“But I was never frustrated by it,” Klopp said. “There were about 3,000 footballers better than me, and I still loved the game.”

But Guardiola expressed himself more defensively in his press conference held at the same time. He said: “I don't think it's the last encounter, we can still play against each other in the FA Cup. It's always been fun so far and it will be on Sunday as well.”

But one thing is certain: the match at Anfield Road will be “a really, really, really important, important game.”