Pep Guardiola believes the Anfield atmosphere is unsurpassed in world football as he declared: “It makes opponents feel small.”
The Manchester City boss has paid Liverpool supporters the ultimate compliment as the rivals prepare to do battle once again in the 2019/20 campaign.
During an interview with Catalan newspaper ARA, Guardiola reflected on the Reds' stunning demolition of his former club Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
Inspired by their surroundings, Liverpool overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit on arguably the greatest European night in the club's illustrious history .
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“I thought they’d score a goal at Anfield, and I am sure the players knew that Anfield is Anfield,” Guardiola said.
“The motto ‘This is Anfield’ is no marketing spin. There’s something about it that you will find in no other stadium in the world.
“They score a goal and over the next five minutes you feel that you’ll receive another four. You feel small and the rival players seem to be all over you.”
Guardiola has yet to triumph in four previous visits to Anfield with City. His side suffered 1-0, 4-3 and 3-0 defeats prior to last term's goalless stalemate in the Premier League.
“We’ve all gone through what happened to Barca,” he added.
“They were laughing at me when we were losing 3-0 after the first 15, 20 minutes of the quarter-final. It’s a bugger of a ground.”
