As Pep Guardiola pointed out last week, Manchester City have not been the best team so far in the Premier League this season. Arsenal have.
City temporarily moved above Arsenal in the table by beating Southampton on Saturday, before Arsenal continued their brilliant start by following up their derby win over Tottenham to record a statement win over Liverpool on Sunday.
That result will have been noted at City, who would still view Liverpool as a title rival despite their poor start, but are also aware of the fine job Mikel Arteta is doing at the Emirates. While it was a result that keeps Arsenal top, it also gives City a golden chance to move 16 points ahead of Liverpool next Sunday.
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It's a quirk of the fixture list this season that City's only 'Big Six' meetings before the World Cup will be the 6-3 derby win over Manchester United and Sunday's trip to Anfield. United were meant to be much-improved and arrived at the Etihad with their best chance of victory in two seasons, but were helpless against City's attacking power and conceded six.
Guardiola warned after the Southampton win that a trip to Anfield remains the toughest test in English football, and City's own record there is poor - they have only won once there in 21 visits stretching back to 2003, as part of a larger run of two wins in 35 visits. And that win in 2020/21 was played behind closed doors, so City know how tough a task it is to silence the Anfield crowd and come away with a result.
Before that, City travel to Copenhagen knowing victory will book their place in the Champions League last-16 with two games remaining. And if they do that, a win at Borussia Dortmund next up would see them win the group with a game to spare. Guardiola prioritises qualification to the knockouts as an early-season goal, so he will surely play a strong side in Denmark on Tuesday.
He will need all of his players - especially those in a stretched defence - to be ready for a busy week that sees a hugely important Champions League game followed by the toughest Premier League task remaining before Christmas. The fact that games against Tottenham and Arsenal have been postponed until after the World Cup means City's fixtures will have been weighted towards those outside the traditional 'Big Six', and even then they have rarely had a better chance to win at Anfield.
Liverpool are out of form and out of confidence, feeling the effects of some summer departures and a number of injuries. If City really are the favourites for the title that bookmakers and pundits say they are, they should be kicking Liverpool while they are down and opening up that 16-point gap against a team they know can go on a run and hunt them down later in the season.
After the United win, Guardiola challenged his players to be better following their 'sloppy' second half, and he called out players like Kevin De Bruyne for an under-par performance against Southampton. These were games where City scored ten goals, eased to six points, and yet the manager was still looking for more from his players.
Guardiola insisted the only focus this week is on Copenhagen, and therefore Champions League qualification, until after they return from Denmark. Then it will be to record only his second win at Anfield as manager of City. As well as getting two wins, Guardiola will be looking closely at how his players approach two games of such importance to City's season.
He won't get any better chances before the World Cup to test the title credentials of his side.
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