Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has urged his teammates not to underestimate Liverpool ahead of the much-anticipated clash on Sunday, insisting that Jurgen Klopp's men can still hurt the Blues.
Pep Guardiola's men travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League, with the Merseyside outfit struggling for form in the league having won just two of their opening eight matches. Meanwhile, City currently sit second in the table and are unbeaten so far this term.
Despite the two side's contrasting domestic form, City star De Bruyne claimed the reigning champions will have to be at the top of their game to overcome Liverpool.
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The Belgian international was quick to dismiss the notion of Klopp's team being a spent force by hailing them as a 'top side' - adding that City will have to manage the Anfield atmosphere in order to be victorious.
"Liverpool have a top side and we are under no illusions that Sunday is going to be a huge test for us," De Bruyne told City's in-house media. "It is true that they haven’t quite reached the same level as previous seasons so far, but they are so dangerous and have so much quality all over the field.
"They are a brilliant team and have the quality to hurt you at any time during a game. Winning 7-1 away from home at Rangers in a very tough competition on Wednesday shows how dangerous they are. When you play against top players, they will always be a threat. But I am sure they think the same about us.
"They have had a few injuries and a few difficult results so far this season, but it will be a challenging and intense game on Sunday like it always is against them. We are really looking forward to it. Anfield is always a tough place to go, but we have won there before and have come close to winning on numerous occasions.
"Our fans will get right behind us as they always do. We will give everything to try and secure the win to send our fans home happy, as we do in every game that we play."
City currently find themselves a point behind Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League table, while Liverpool lie in 11th place, having recorded 10 points from their first eight matches.
De Bruyne insisted that Guardiola's men will have to perform exceptionally well to overcome Liverpool, and also called on the Blues to focus on their own performance.
He added: "We have started the season really well, so our focus is on our performance and to try to ensure that we continue our good form. We will do what we always do which is focus on ourselves. You have to be on the top of your game in any Premier League match to win and it will be no different on Sunday.
"The level in the Premier League is so high and this is only increasing every season. If you drop your level and you don’t play to your best, you don’t win games. It is as simple as that. We are proud of our consistency, but it takes so much hard work on the training ground every day to maintain this standard. I hope we can continue it.
"In these kinds of games, you have to be strong in defence and take your opportunities when you get them. That is exactly what we will try to do."
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