For the week heading into their biggest match of the season (or least one of the two biggest), Liverpool FC had plenty of other news, relating to competitions other than the Premier League.

Such is life when you’re a juggernaut; you have the good kind of problems.

Liverpool will field two different teams when they play in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar and the EFL Cup on the same day. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp had a funny and interesting take on it all, and how he’s managing to keep his club in the good graces of both FIFA and the EFL.

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On the home side, the reigning treble holders, the only side in English history to win a domestic treble and holders of the most and second most single season points in Premier League history.

And on the visiting side, the reigning European champions, for the sixth time and holders of the third most single season points in Premier League history. Liverpool at Manchester City- let’s get ready to rumble!

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No hype necessary for Liverpool FC at Manchester City, a match-up of the two sides that gave us the greatest title chase the Premier League has even seen last season. And the mind games for this one started very early. Man City boss Pep Guardiola called Liverpool winger Sadio Mane a diver last weekend.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp responded by pointing out City’s recent history of getting away with minor fouls. Mane responded to Guardiola’s comments by saying, albeit in a bizarre way that we won’t let Pep’s commentary change his game. He also joked? (said half-jokingly?) that he will dive again if it means winning a penalty kick for his side. And amidst all this nuttiness, we have some team news to cover, and we’ll start with the visitors.

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Liverpool football club are in a very unique position, one that has rarely, if ever, been seen before. Festive period fixture congestion, plus the fact that they’re alive in so many different competitions, has them with a schedule conflict. Literally, they have to pay two different games on the same exact day.

So they have decided that instead of trying to reschedule the December 17 date, where the Reds will compete in both the EFL Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, they’ll just field two entirely different teams. In response to this move, the English Football League have warned LFC that they “must meet the competition’s selection requirements” for the quarterfinal tie versus Aston Villa.

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Manchester City have what could be another major injury concern ahead of the super Sunday showdown at home against Liverpool. Starting goalkeeper Ederson played the first 45 minutes of side’s 1-1 draw at Atalanta, but didn’t return for the second due to what BT Sport reported was a minor injury.

The absence of Ederson for the second half of the UCL group stage clash was reportedly due to precautionary reasons, but nevertheless it makes him a doubt for the crunch clash on the weekend. We will certainly learn more after Pep Guardiola addresses the media. Here’s where it gets weird though.

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When you’ve got a huge game like this, the mind games start early. And what a treat we do have when first place Liverpool visits second place Manchester City on Sunday. Before another tedious international break ensues, we have a match up of the two sides that provided the greatest Premier League title chase in history last season.

Pep Guardiola got the mind games party started on the weekend by branding Liverpool scoring sensation Sadio Mane a diver. Now Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has responded with the “I don’t want to bring up sensitive topic XYZ, but oh look at that, I just did!” routine.

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There is a lot that really grinds the gears of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp these days. A few days ago, it was the fixture congestion/schedule makers. Now it’s VAR and the way it’s used. Ahead of the biggest match of the year (or one of the two biggest), we’re all aware that VAR could have a major influence in determining the result a week from today when Liverpool visits Manchester City.

“Look, we have now a real problem,” said Klopp, “But now we talk about serious moments, very important moments in football. It is not the right way that we sit here, talk about it and everybody wants to laugh about.”

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Here we go- it’s Liverpool versus Manchester City week (one of two). It’s the battle of the two leading Premier League title contenders and the two sides who gave us perhaps the greatest title chase ever last season.

And the mind games have started with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola branding Sadio Mane a diver, while also extensively praising him.

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