Champions League Quarterfinal Premier League Clash

The Champions League quarter-final meeting between Liverpool and Manchester City is not simply a domestic battle for a place in the last four of Europe’s elite tournament.It is a confrontation between two of Europe’s most charismatic, high-profile managers in Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and City’s Pep Guardiola.It is also a confrontation between the two best attacking sides in the Premier League, with 163 goals between them. And Liverpool are still the only side to beat Manchester City in their runaway title success.

Klopp’s record of six victories in 12 games against Guardiola with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool in opposition to Bayern Munich and Manchester City respectively means he has the best record of managerial success against the Catalan.It hardly makes Klopp Guardiola’s nemesis. Guardiola has five wins, and both have had success this season with City winning 5-0 at Etihad Stadium in September before Liverpool came out on top 4-3 at Anfield in January.Both managerial styles are so entrenched, principles so firm, that neither is likely depart from them even in a game of this importance.Klopp’s Liverpool will go all-out attack, while City will play the possession game bolted on to the pace of a superb attack, which is Guardiola’s hallmark.

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson:”This will be everything that is good about football. We over-hype many games these days – but this is a game that cannot be over-hyped.”There are times people expect a classic and never see it, but I would be very surprised if this is anything less than that when these two teams and managers meet with a place in the Champions League semi-finals at stake.”The hype is justified because they can’t play any other way than by going at each other.”

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