Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said Liverpool are their "biggest challengers" for the Premier League title despite the Merseyside team trailing his side by 13 points ahead of Sunday's game at Anfield.

City, who have qualified for the Champions League's last 16, are second in the league table on 23 points after nine games, one point behind leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool have won only two of their eight league games and are 10th, but Guardiola said his opinion about them has not been changed by their league position.

"I know the quality they have, they know the quality we have. If this was with three games left, I would say they could not catch top of the league but, with so long left plus a World Cup, anything can happen," Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

"It's always difficult in the years since we have arrived here together, it will be a tough game and I don't expect anything else.

"The game will be dictated on the pitch, not by the table, because we are in front of them or behind, not because of those kind of things."

City have been one of the most consistent teams in world football this season and are unbeaten in 13 competitive matches.

"This is our biggest achievement as a team," Guardiola said.

"Everything can change. A few months ago, Liverpool were competing for a prestigious situation in English football, four titles, they had more shots, possession, everything in the final and they lost.

"This is the same team, same manager, things can happen. It's part of the nature of the competition. I don't look at good moments or bad moments. I analyse as a team always expecting the best of them."

Guardiola said that Kyle Walker (groin), Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) and John Stones (thigh) are still sidelined and he does not know if they would be fit to play for England at the World Cup.

He added that striker Erling Haaland will play in Sunday's game after being an unused substitute in their Champions League match in midweek.

The Norwegian, who has scored 20 goals in 13 matches in all competitions this season for City since joining them from Borussia Dortmund, has been hailed as a "perfect fit" for the champions by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

The German added that the Reds will have to find ways to limit his threat in attack.

"When you play against somebody at the moment who is the best striker in the world, you have to make sure he doesn't get that many balls," Klopp told reporters on Friday.

"That's what we will try but obviously against City the problem is, if you close Haaland down with too many players, you open up gaps for all the other world-class players.

"So that will not make life easier, it's a challenge, it's a football problem and we will try to find a solution."

Klopp heaped praise on Haaland, saying the 22-year-old boasts an enviable combination of physical and technical skills.

"His finishing skills are exceptional but he moves really smart," Klopp said. "You can only use speed if you use it in a smart way. His whole package makes it special."

The Liverpool manager added: "So many things to make a striker, and at City he has some of the best players around him setting up goals. It's a perfect fit."

Klopp's men go into Sunday's game on the back of a 7-1 thumping of Rangers in the Champions League, in which Mohamed Salah scored the fastest hat-trick - 6min 12sec - in the competition's history.

Salah took over from Darwin Nunez as the centre forward against Rangers, raising questions of whether he should play centrally more often.

"He can play the position no doubt about that, but he can play wide position as well," Klopp explained. "When he scored goals he was central, that makes sense. Whichever system we play, for finishing you need to be in and around the box."

Klopp was also impressed with Roberto Firmino after the Brazil international scored twice in their last game, but wants his players to "spread the goals a bit more to different games".

"I enjoy preparing for the game but it is the biggest challenge you can face in football," Klopp said of Sunday's visit of City. "Man City, they are at the moment the best team in the world but we will give it a try, knowing we can get help from a full Anfield and we will try to use that." REUTERS