Liverpool host Manchester City on Sunday in a game that could be pivotal in deciding the destination of this season's Premier League title.
With such a great deal at stake both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will be doing their utmost to gain any advantage they can.
Guardiola, whose side are champions but trail by six points at this early stage of the season, decided early on in the week that a dose of mind games may give his side the upper hand.
Speaking about Liverpool's Sadio Mane, the Spaniard suggested that the Senegalese forward goes to ground easily in an attempt to influence referees.
"It's happened a lot for Liverpool in the last years [scoring late on]. It's because he's a special talent," Guardiola said of Mane to the BBC.
"Sometimes he's diving, sometimes he has this talent to score incredible goals in the last minute. He's a talent."
Not one to shy away from a confrontation, Jurgen Klopp hit back in the press, saying: “I promise not to mention tactical fouls!
“I am not sure if Pep spoke in that moment about Sadio or the team – both is not too nice to be honest.
“Somebody showed it to me because I had to see it as everybody told me about it... I couldn’t really believe it to be honest. Then I saw it."
Klopp was once again quizzed on Guardiola's comments prior to Tuesday's Champions League game v Genk, and the German boss seemed unusually prickly.
"I'm not really in the Man City mood at the moment to be honest," he said.
"I don't think about that. Do I like that he talks about one of my players Sadio Mane?
"What I can say, and people from other clubs, it's always like this, that's how it is. But, Sadio's not a diver."
Later in the week, Guardiola clarified his comments, saying: "It was far from my intention to say Sadio is like that. I admire him a lot. I was the wrong guy to think it wasn't a penalty.
"Like Jurgen says, he knows Sadio better than me. With Jurgen he tries to be positive, when he says it’s not like this. But my comments, what I said, was longer than the highlight, it was a praise for Liverpool, to say it was not just one action."
The Spaniard made an effort to diffuse the situation, but the seed may have already been planted in the official's minds ahead of Sunday's titanic clash.
