Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his rivalry with Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp has made him a “better manager”.

City are a point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and the teams meet at Anfield on Sunday (16:30 BST).

The only time City missed out on the title in the past four years is when the Reds won it in 2019-20.

“Since I arrived here – maybe not the first year – Liverpool were always there,” said Guardiola.

The Spaniard, who took over at City in the summer of 2016, also faced Klopp, who became Reds boss in October 2015, when he was Bayern Munich manager and the German was in charge of Borussia Dortmund.

Guardiola has lost eight games in all competitions against Klopp, which is more than against any other opposing manager.

“Jurgen Klopp’s teams helped me to be a better manager,” said Guardiola, whose side go into the game against Liverpool after a league win over Chelsea and Champions League group game defeat by Paris St-Germain.

“He put me at another level, to think about it, to prove myself, to be a better manager. That is the reason why I am still in this business.