2 Liverpool and City stars may play after featuring in Pep and Klopp’s 1st game

For the latest from the pitch sign up for our football newsletter

Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will resume their rivalry on Sunday as Manchester City host Liverpool in the most eagerly anticipated match of the season so far – and two stars from the pair's first ever clash could feature.

The potentially title-deciding Premier League encounter at the Etihad will see the two managerial masterminds face off for the 23rd time in their illustrious careers. With nine wins apiece and four draws between them in their 22 meetings so far, the pair cannot be split – even if a point separates their two teams heading into Sunday.

Guardiola's City currently hold the slender advantage over Klopp's Reds, but that could all change over 90 minutes. With managerial bragging rights also up for grabs, it could in fact be one of two players who featured in the very first clash between the pair who affect Sunday's outcome.

The first of those 22 meetings came back in 2013 when Klopp's Borussia Dortmund claimed a 4-2 win over a Bayern Munich side recently inherited by Guardiola in the German Super Cup. The enthralling encounter, which set the tone for one of football's most gripping managerial rivalries of the modern era, featured both City's Ilkay Gundogan and Liverpool's Thiago.

And in a fascinating twist, both players will be coming up against their former managers when their current teams lock horns on Sunday. Back in 2013, Gundogan turned out for Klopp's Dortmund while Thiago represented Guardiola's Bayern.

In fact, Gundogan scored the all-important third that day as Marco Reus hit a double and former City defender Daniel van Buyten put through his own net to send the silverware back to Dortmund. Arjen Robben's brace for Bayern would ultimately prove a mere footnote in the final outcome.

HAVE YOUR SAY! What will be the outcome of Manchester City v Liverpool on Sunday? Give us your thoughts in the comments section

Dortmund's success that day saw Klopp claim the first of two German Super Cup triumphs and contributed to his five-trophy haul during his time with the Bundesliga outfit. For Guardiola, it proved to be a tough baptism of fire in his first match in charge of Bayern, but his initial disappointment wouldn't last long.

The Spaniard claimed a staggering seven trophies across his three seasons in Bavaria as Germany staged the start of Klopp and Guardiola's engrossing rivalry. Manchester plays host to the latest instalment of the managerial battle as both City and Liverpool look to take one significant step closer to clinching this season's Premier League title.

It may well be the case that either Gundogan or Thiago come back to haunt their former mentors at the Etihad on Sunday. One thing is guaranteed: this game isn't one to be missed.

  • Liverpool FC
  • Manchester City FC
  • Pep Guardiola
  • Jurgen Klopp
  • Premier League

Source: Read Full Article