Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has dismissed suggestions that facing Manchester City does not pose the same challenge as in previous years.

Pep Guardiola's side have already lost 5-2 at home to Leicester, drawn at Leeds and West Ham and are five points behind their table-topping title rivals, although they do have a match in hand.

They go into Sunday's game without Sergio Aguero, who has scored in all seven of his appearances against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, but Klopp does not see it as any less of a difficult task.

"And that is why I said it, it is 100 per cent like this, I don't think anybody else would see differently apart from a few journalists who always react on a moment, 'ah, but in a moment they are this or that'.

"But actually they are in really good shape. If you don't use all your chances that can cause you a problem results-wise but for me it is important that they had all these chances because that is what I have to think about and not if they finish them off or not because I know they will finish them off from a specific point.

"We just have to make sure it doesn't happen on Sunday and they will not have that many."