For decades, Manchester City and Liverpool were nowhere near as heated rivals as they are in the present day.
Both the Blues and the Reds saw their clashes against Manchester United as meaning more and, as much as two teams from opposing cities could, they found a common hatred. Fast forward to 2023 though and the City vs Liverpool fixture has never been so bitter.
During the international break, Virgil van Dijk likened the match to 'a war' despite Liverpool not being in the title picture this season. City meanwhile took steps to limit the amount of away supporters Jurgen Klopp's team could bring after horrendous scenes during the Carabao Cup clash at the Etihad back in December.
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But how did we get to this stage? MEN Sport has taken a look at how the rivalry has developed to where it is today.
Arguably, the origins of the fierce aspect of the City vs Liverpool fixture date back to the 2017/18 season. In Pep Guardiola's second season in England, his side were drawn in the Champions League quarter-finals against the Merseyside club.
The animosity between the two clubs was heightened upon arrival at Anfield for the Blues when the players' coach was the target of missiles, subsequently leading to a €20,000 fine from UEFA. Klopp was quick to condemn the attack but it sowed the seeds of what was to become a much more hostile rivalry.
City would go on to lose the first leg of the Champions League tie 3-0 before being knocked out of the competition 5-1 on aggregate. Despite those off-field issues, respect between the two coaches remained.
Guardiola and Klopp faced each other in the Bundesliga when they managed Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively and this created a fond but competitive relationship between the pair which blossomed in the Premier League. In October 2018, the Catalan boss would praise the Reds, saying: "If it's an open game against Liverpool, you don't have a chance, not even one per cent.
"If it’s up and down quickly they are much, much better—they are maybe the best team in the world running these transitions, offensive-defensively. There is not a team better in the world than them, because they are built for that, created for that.
"It’s what Jurgen feels, and what the players take, for that sense. In that situation they are much better than us."
That season though, the tension between City and Liverpool would turn up a notch. Just a point would separate the two sides come the end of the campaign as Klopp's men would finish runner-up on a whopping 97 points.
Guardiola's men beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-1 on the final day of the campaign to pip their rivals to the title by the narrowest of margins. Despite the clear disappointment, Klopp spoke fondly of Guardiola in September 2019.
"Pep Guardiola… what can I say?" The German manager beamed. "He has won so many titles, the way his teams play. He’s so exceptional; hands down, the best manager I’ve coached against."
To this point, the relationship between the two managers was always civil in the press but two months later, comments became more fractious. With Liverpool six points clear of City in the 2019/20 season, Guardiola blasted Sadio Mane.
"It (diving) has happened many times, what Liverpool have done, in the last few years," he told the press after the Merseyside club's clash with Aston Villa. "Mane is a special talent. Sometimes he’s diving, sometimes he has this talent to score incredible goals in the last minute."
Klopp retaliated with a jibe of his own as he declared his dismay at Guardiola's comments. "I couldn’t really believe it to be honest and then I saw it," he said.
"I am not sure if Pep spoke in that moment about Sadio or the team – both is not too nice to be honest. I am not too sure if I want to put oil on the fire.
"I am not interested in these kind of things. And I promise not to mention tactical fouls."
Liverpool's manager may not have wanted to stoke the rivalry further but the clashes between the two clubs were now becoming season defining. Klopp's men would beat City 3-1 that year pre-pandemic.
Despite City getting the better of Liverpool upon football's return, the Merseyside club would win the Premier League for the first time comfortably with 99 points. After a season which saw City regain their crown and Liverpool struggle with injuries, the rivalry erupted again in the worst way possible.
The two sides met at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final in April 2022 and inexcusably a minute's silence to remember the victims of the Hillsborough disaster was interrupted by offensive chants. Like in 2018, the actions of the supporters that day were condemned but that did little cool the rivalry.
On the pitch, the Blues would lose the semi-final but would pip Liverpool to the title on the final day of the 2021/22 season thanks to a dramatic comeback victory against Villa.
While City and Liverpool are not competing against each other for the title this year, trouble has underlined the rivalry in the matches this campaign, up to this point. Firstly, Guardiola told the Merseyside club's supporters in October 2022 that they 'needed to improve their aim' after being targeted by missiles in the defeat at Anfield.
Then, as mentioned earlier, Liverpool's away allocation was reduced for Saturday's clash due to crowd trouble in the Carabao Cup fixture back in December. Although the rivalry was not non-existent prior to 2017/18, there has been a steep incline in the ill-will between both clubs as they battle for the same accolades.
Liverpool will not be in the Premier League title hunt this year but they will be dying to hinder City's chances of catching Arsenal this weekend, as the rivalry resumes once more.
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