Arne Slot reveals how Pep Guardiola helped Liverpool boss 'create my own idea' as he hails Man City boss

The Liverpool boss has catapulted his reputation and Liverpool right up the Premier League table in his first season in charge of the club. The Dutch coach faced a tricky task to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield but has seen off almost every challenge he has faced with aplomb. Since his appointment, the Reds have won every game in the Champions League and Carabao Cup and dropped points in the Premier League on just two occasions - home to Nottingham Forest and away to Arsenal. His next task comes in the form of Guardiola's Manchester City, a tough test of Liverpool's title ambitions even if City are six games without a win. Ahead of the game, Slot praised Guardiola and credited him as an inspiration for his style of play.

Ahead of Sunday's game, Slot said: "There are few people in football who, when you watch, they never let you down. Nine times out of 10, the games of Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Manchester City have been a joy to watch for everyone who loves football. So that’s why I like to watch Guardiola’s teams play.

"When I started to watch [Guardiola's] Barcelona, I saw that the successful balls were only the ones that Barcelona played, so that gave me the reassurance that what I thought was the right ball proved to be the right ball.

"It definitely helped me to create my own idea about football and my own playing style. There was a bit from playing myself, such as feeling that if a full-back kept the ball on one side we were going to lose this ball, and if they played it inside then everything would open up. And if you watched Barcelona you always saw the same pattern."

Slot holds the upper hand over Guardiola ahead of their clash with the latter reeling from the worst run of form in his managerial career. Manchester City have not won in six games, three of those in the Premier League, and are rapidly losing pace in the title race with Slot's side. If Liverpool earn maximum points again on Sunday, they will stretch the gap to 12 points and leave Guardiola's hopes of yet another Premier League title in tatters.

Slot's Liverpool take on Guardiola's City in a mouth-watering first clash between the respective outfits and may offer a glimpse into the start of a deeply competitive rivalry, similar to the one Guardiola shared with Klopp previously. Neither side will want to drop points with Arsenal and Chelsea also in pursuit and ready to pounce on any slip-up.