Pep Guardiola accepts his Manchester City side will have to survive some difficult moments to have any chance of beating Liverpool this weekend.

City host the champions and current Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The two sides are considered the main rivals for this season’s title and Guardiola claims it will be good for his team to measure themselves against Jurgen Klopp’s men this early in the season.

City’s hopes of having record goalscorer Sergio Aguero back in on Sunday have been dashed.

The striker had been given an outside chance of featuring after three games out with a hamstring injury but will instead target a return against Tottenham after the international break.

Aguero, 32, has ensured a frustrating start to the season. The Argentinian missed the end of the last campaign after undergoing knee surgery in June and has featured just three times this term.

“He’s not ready, not yet,” Guardiola said.