Boss Guardiola reckons Manchester club's failure to beat Liverpool at Etihad Stadium tonight will end their bid to retain EPL trophy

Manchester City players celebrate a goal against Southampton during an EPL tie on Sunday. Liverpool have a seven-point lead over City in the EPL table. Pic/Getty Images

Manager Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City side a failure to beat Liverpool tonight will effectively mean their EPL title challenge is over. Last month, Guardiola admitted Liverpool's charge to depose the EPL champions has been in his head for some time.

But in their first game of 2019, City already find themselves in must-win territory to haul Liverpool back into view by inflicting the leaders' first defeat of the season and cutting a seven-point lead to four at the Etihad on tonight.

Pep Guardiola

"With the position of Liverpool, if we drop points then it is over, it is finished; it would be almost impossible," Guardiola said. Guardiola's obsession with Liverpool and Klopp in particular is not surprising. For a serial winner, no side and no manager has caused the Catalan as many problems as the German.

City have won just one of seven meetings since Guardiola joined Klopp in England after locking horns in charge of Bundesliga giants Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. A shock run of three defeats in four EPL games in December has left City playing catch up to a Liverpool side eyeing history by ending a 29-year wait to win the league.

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