Ruben Dias has admitted Manchester City have no choice other than to win their remaining Premier League fixtures to prevent Liverpool from prevailing as champions.
The two teams each have five fixtures remaining in the top-flight, in a race for the title that could well come down to the final game of the season once again. Pep Guardiola's side currently lead the way in the fight for first place by a single point and will be fully aware the Reds are closing in as the season edges closer to its climax.
City and Liverpool have significantly raised the standards of the division in recent years, demanding near perfection from one another in their respective pursuits of glory. The same sentiment applies to the current campaign, with neither side refusing to deviate from their mentality of winning every game at all costs.
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Asked if the Sky Blues will have to maintain a 100 per cent winning record from now until the end of the season, Dias has no doubt in his mind this will be the case. "Of course," the former Benfica defender told Sky Sports. "I guess that question could be made in the beginning of the season.
"If you asked me if I believed we had to win every single game, that's what we aim for. That is very difficult to achieve, but that's the goal. What happens after that is a matter of details and football. These five games are just like anything else: win, win, win."
On the pressure of the current title tussle, the 24-year-old added: "The pressure, you learn how to deal with it. We have played so many times, every three days. I guess there is some joy in the feeling of getting closer and the closer you get to the end of the season, you closer you get to the final decisions. Especially the two competitions we're still in, they mean a lot for all of us. At the same time you have pressure, you also have huge desire and that brings all the passion we need to do it.
"It will be thrilling, I bet. But there is no other way of having a big, big win if you don't have someone to rival you as much. What we're witnessing and going through, it's not easy and it's for the very best. We're doing everything we can and recovering every single detail."
