Manchester City midfielder Rodri has told unbeaten "animals" Liverpool they will have "a bad moment" this season, but knows that his side have to take advantage in the title race.
The Reds are eight points clear at the top of the table going into the weekend following their eight wins from eight Premier League matches, and will be looking to prolong their 100 per cent start when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
By then the gap at the top could be five points, with City going to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.
And Rodri - a summer signing from Atletico Madrid - is well aware that his side can't afford any more slip-ups following their home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break.
"We have not started in the best way possible, that is clear, but we know the difficulties that we have right now (with injuries) and we know that the season is very long," Rodri told the Mail Online .
"I have touched down in England, and immediately found myself up against one of the best teams I have seen in recent years.
"They are strong. And not just on the counter-attack. They can dominate games and they can score from set-plays.
"But all teams have their bad moment of the season and we have to be there. It's not so much waiting for our opponent to fail as making sure we get things right."
Rodri made his City debut in the Community Shield against Liverpool in August, when Pep Guardiola's men won on penalties, and he says that experience taught him just how good the Reds are.
"They go at you like animals and that is what prevails in football right now," he said.
"When we played the final of the Community Shield, we knew they were a team that is like a knife.
'One comes at you, then another and sometimes it seems like there is no escape. It's a quality they have, that is clear.'
