Pep Guardiola believes his Manchester City side face the toughest assignment in Europe this weekend.
The Blues head to Anfield for a crucial clash with Liverpool in the Premier League title race and Guardiola has hailed the ground as the hardest place to go to on the continent.
Liverpool haven't lost a league game at Anfield since a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in May 2017 - a run of 45 fixtures - while City haven't won there since 2003.
Guardiola's side head to Merseyside six points behind Liverpool and while he insists the title race won't be over if City are beaten, he knows his side face a tough task against Jurgen Klopp's side.
"I love it," Guardiola said of the Anfield atmosphere. "I didn’t like what happened in the bus outside the stadium but in the stadium when they support the team, it’s perfect, it’s lovely, that’s why we’re involved in this business, to be involved in this kind of experience in these stadiums.
"I would say right now it’s the toughest stadium in Europe to go to."
It's not only the Anfield atmosphere that City have to cope with on Sunday, with Guardiola hailing Liverpool as one of the best teams in the world at the moment.
The two sides are developing a fierce rivalry, something which Guardiola believes is helping to keep City's standards high after successive Premier League titles.
"The quality they have – if you play high they make movements in behind, they are so fast, when you defend deep they attack a lot of players, with Trent Alexander Arnold and [Andrew] Robertson, incredible crossers, good headers in the box, incredible at the back, second balls, with set pieces," he said of Liverpool.
"It’s a real complete team, as a club we need this kind of rival after winning back to back, that’s the kind of rival to put another step forward to understand okay that is the level we have to face in the next years to work harder and take the right decisions."
