Jurgen Klopp doesn't want to hear that Sunday's massive Manchester City vs. Liverpool match is a potential title decider — even though it certainly feels that way.
"I cannot decide what people think but we can just go through the possible results: if we win, we are two points up," Klopp said.
"If everybody thinks that’s done and dusted with the league, I cannot help. If we lose we are four points behind.
"If anyone thinks that’s it, I cannot change it, but I know nobody from a City point of view would think like that.
"If it’s a draw, one point behind. That’s it."
The Liverpool manager may be trying to publicly downplay the importance of Sunday's match, but he certainly understands the magnitude of his team's trip to the Etihad Stadium. The sides are separated by just a single point in the Premier League standings, with City holding on to the top spot. After Sunday, there are just seven matches left to play for both teams, meaning opportunities to overcome a poor showing would be few.
With that in mind, Klopp expects both sides to bring out the best in one another. Liverpool has struggled in this fixture recently, winning just once in their last 12 visits to the Etihad (7L, 4D). Overall, the Reds are winless in their last four Premier League meetings with City, regardless of the venue, and they can't help but look at Sunday's game as a chance to play their best football in a long time against Pep Guardiola's men.
"Look, if you play professional football on the highest level your focus is on your own games," Klopp said.
"But there’s a moment in the season where you cannot avoid watching the table, you see one is catching up constantly, you have the same amount of wins and all these kind of things.
"That’s normal. In sports I think what helps you the most is a strong opponent. In the long term especially it helps you the most."
Here's everything you need to know about the match, including the kick-off time and how to watch in Canada:
Manchester City vs. Liverpool: Date, start time
- Date: Sunday, April 10
- Kick-off: 11:30 a.m. ET
The match is scheduled for a 11:30 a.m. ET kick-off at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
How to watch Manchester City vs. Liverpool in Canada: TV and live stream
Manchester City vs. Liverpool, like all Premier League matches, streams exclusively live and on-demand on DAZN in Canada.
DAZN, the first global pure sport live and on-demand streaming service, has the streaming rights for the Premier League in Canada for the 2021-22 season.
DAZN is available on web browsers at DAZN.com and also has apps available for many TV and streaming devices, including:
- iPhone, iPad
- Android phones and tablets
- Amazon Fire Tablet
- Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
- Apple TV
- Android TV
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- LG, Sony and Samsung smart TVs
- Playstation 4, Playstation 5
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S
A subscription to DAZN is $20 CAD a month or $150 CAD a year.