Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp have not 'worked out' Manchester City, insists Pep Guardiola

Guardiola reminded reporters: 'We won the Premier League'

Pep Guardiola has dismissed the idea that Liverpool have worked his Manchester City side out, despite beating them on three separate occasions last season.

Liverpool ended City’s Champions League campaign at the quarter-final stage in April, while Jürgen Klopp’s side also inflicted a first Premier League defeat of the season on Guardiola last term.

Klopp has the best record against Guardiola of any manager to face him on more than three occasions, winning eight, drawing once and losing five.

Guardiola, however, does not believe this proves that either Klopp has discovered a foolproof way to beat his team.

The pair meet again at Anfield on Sunday and, when asked what he would say to those who suggest Liverpool have “worked out” City, he scoffed.

“Good, congratulations, they are right,” Guardiola joked, before taking a more serious tone. “So, we won the Premier League. They are top side even if we win, the way they play.

“Liverpool beat us they beat a lot of teams not just Manchester City. Liverpool is one of the two greatest teams in England.

“That’s why we tried to be close with them in terms of many, many things and we are closer. They are a top side.”

Guardiola added: “We won at home and lose there [at Anfield], knock-out of the Champions League is completely different.

“Also, we lose against Monaco in the Champions League [in 2016-17] and against Shakhtar [in last season’s group stages].

“I don’t feel unbeatable, not even last season, so everybody can beat us. When one team is better and beat us, accept it. It is part of the game.

“You have to learn. Anfield is special and it depends how we approach the game and how we are as a team.”

Guardiola also vowed on Friday that he would remain true to his principles and instruct his players to play on the front foot at Anfield, despite Liverpool’s fearsome attack.

“That is the way I feel my game is,” he said. ”To try to attack better and try to have a lot of the ball, to of course protect when you lose the ball because they are so dangerous, but try to play.

“I never understood going in the bigger stages like that and try to just defend,” he added. “That is not going to happen. We are not going to defend.”

Klopp’s side were off-key in their midweek Champions League defeat to Napoli, failing to register a single shot on target, but Guardiola does not expect Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah to misfire again.

“I am not expecting what happened in Napoli where they have one shot, it won’t happen at Anfield,” he said. ”They will have shots on target. In Anfield you have to minimise that in the best way.”