Man City vs Liverpool: Guardiola snubs Mourinho, names Klopp as greatest rival

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has named Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as his greatest-ever rival, saying the German tactician made him a better manager.

Guardiola and Klopp are set to enact said rivalry, as their two teams are set to go up against each other tomorrow, and the Spaniard was full of praise for his adversary.

Guardiola and Klopp have gone head-to-head for league titles in two separate leagues. First in the Bundesliga, when Pep was with Bayern and Klopp was with Dortmund, they continued the rivalry in the Premier League, pushing themselves to unprecedented heights.

For this reason, Guardiola believes this is the greatest rivalry he has been involved in, despite going up against Jose Mourinho in the El Clasico and Manchester Derby.

“Yep, by far [Klopp is his greatest rival] because we faced each other a thousand million times,” he said, per Goal.

“Absolutely, he made me better, him and his teams, here and Dortmund, always been big rivals, good games for both, positive approach and always attractive. 

“He made me a better manager through his teams, and of course the way the play is good with the transitions, the runs, they are a fantastic team, a top side, no doubt."

Meanwhile, Guardiola’s men have notched 15 uninterrupted Premier League victories at the Etihad, their record is nine adrift of Liverpool’s 24-game record. However, unlike Klopp’s side, the Manchester outfit’s consistency across all competitions has put the Cityzens one more home victory behind the English record.