Arsenal leads Manchester City by eight points, and rival Liverpool will try to end Pep Guardiola's title dreams.
Liverpool may not pose a danger to Manchester City in the fight for the championship this year, but they have the potential to ruin the champions' treble aspirations in Saturday's game at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola, who still has great regard for a Reds team that has struggled to be consistent this year, is afraid of it.
While Liverpool is on the outside looking in of the Champions League race, City has to win to at least temporarily cut the gap to league leaders Arsenal.
That concept would have been foreign to these two sides last year as they battled it out for the championship, and Guardiola is still feeling the effects of earlier titanic battles.
The City Manager, who claimed his ""They can beat everyone for one game, just like we can beat everyone," the speaker said, "but opinion doesn't alter for one season of ups and downs. Each game is unique."
Liverpool's circumstance is somewhat more problematic because City can concentrate just on Arsenal in the league.
They are five points behind Newcastle United, who have played the same number of games and are in fifth position, but they are also seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with two games remaining.
Liverpool will play Chelsea and Arsenal the following week after visiting City.
The game is really significant, according to Jürgen Klopp. "The only constant over all previous years is that.
"We are aware that the upcoming week and game are both huge. We must put all of our focus on them tomorrow and forget about the other games.
"Similar to a Champions League week, really. I'm very thrilled."
ATHLETES TO WATCH
City of Manchester - Kevin De Bruyne
Haaland missed the international break due to injury, but De Bruyne was in superb form for Belgium earlier this week, defeating Germany with a goal and two assists. He will play a crucial part in City's matchup against them because Liverpool and City are tied for the fourth-most through balls played against each other (64). (48). De Bruyne has the most through balls of any player with 21.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool
Only while playing Manchester United does Salah surpass his 10 goals in games versus City, who he enjoys playing against (12). In fact, he has already scored three times this season against Guardiola's team, scoring once each in the Premier League, Community Shield, and EFL Cup. In five meetings with Everton in the 1986–87 season, Ian Rush was the last Liverpool player to score in four different games against the same opponent.
PREDICTION FOR MATCH: MAN CITY TO WIN
For the first time in the previous 17 seasons, Liverpool hopes to sweep City in the league, but that last home-and-away triumph in 2015-16 featured their lone victory at the Etihad Stadium in their most recent 13 league visits.
With only 12 points from 13 games played away from home, this season does not seem to be one in which they will break a trend. They have the largest differential between home and away points in the division, having amassed 30 points at Anfield.
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