Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will go down as two of the very best managers, with their rivalry hailed as "incredible" by Albert Riera.
Guardiola's Manchester City lead the way by a point in the Premier League after their draw with Klopp's Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
It was a repeat of the scoreline from the reverse fixture earlier this season, and is the first time since 2012-13 that they have shared two draws in one league campaign.
A topsy turvy match saw Diogo Jota hit back for Liverpool after Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring, with Sadio Mane cancelling out Gabriel Jesus' strike.
The teams will meet again in the FA Cup semi-finals and Riera, who played for both clubs, is fascinated by the rivalry and the skills of both managers.
"If I ask you what you consider playing well, one coach will answer one way and another in another way," Riera told Stats Perform.
"One may say that if he wins, he plays well. Another will tell you to start from behind and reach the striker without the opponent touching the ball, but if you lose, that is not valid either.
"This is the beauty of football, if there was a system that guarantees us to win, we would all play the same.
"They are obviously two of the best and [two of] those who motivate you. I like to see how they work."
He added: "For the spectators and those of us who watch it from the outside, it's incredible to be able to see a game like this.
"I think we all know the way City play, wanting to defend with possession of the ball and even against an aggressive team like Liverpool who want to get the ball back, but this time it cost them, because City want it at all costs.
"On the other hand, Liverpool's transitions are spectacular. You can't see many teams where the two full-backs reach the attack, that's something very difficult to see."
Riera also believes that, with City and Liverpool acting as the driving forces in recent seasons, the Premier League is the most intense competition in world football.
"At the rhythm level, the Premier League is unmatched with other leagues," Riera continued. "In England, the 90 or 95 minutes that the game lasts is [played] at full speed.
"Obviously Liverpool and Manchester City are at an impressive level, and it is difficult to see that Brentford or Burnley can beat them. But I have the memory that anyone can beat anyone [in the Premier League] because they are not afraid, and they go out on the field to attack.
"This is the most beautiful [league]."
Liverpool are now winless in five league matches against City (three draws, two defeats), but are bidding to reach a first FA Cup final since 2012 when they go head-to-head again on Saturday.
Slot hoping to capitalise on new-found weapon upon Premier League return
Arne Slot aims to utilise the set-pieces that proved fruitful in his first Champions League game in charge of Liverpool when they welcome Bournemouth to Anfield this weekend.
Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk netted headers from corner kicks in the Reds’ 3-1 win over Milan in midweek, bouncing back from their shock defeat to Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
Liverpool’s loss to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side marked the first of Slot’s era since taking over from Jurgen Klopp, but the Dutch head coach is confident that the Red’s new-found weapon can punish the Cherries and get their Premier League campaign back on track.
“I don't look at the other team, I always look at my own team,” Slot said.
“I think we were a bit disappointed with the result against Nottingham Forest, [but] we were also disappointed from getting eight corner kicks and not scoring, but we were very close.
“I think [it was] two very good set-pieces and two very good headers that got us two goals, which was important because I think we were very comfortable on the ball, pressed well, but in the end, you need goals as well.”
Bournemouth, meanwhile, were on the end of a late defeat to Chelsea in their last Premier League fixture as Christopher Nkunku came off the bench to score for the visitors.
The Cherries had the opportunity to take the lead against Enzo Maresca’s side from the spot, only for £40million record signing Evanilson to see his spot-kick saved by Robert Sanchez.
In his first three league games, Evanilson has failed to score with his seven shots on goal, but head coach Andoni Iraola is confident the Brazilian will soon find his feet in England.
"I will not value his performance because he has scored. He has had a lot of chances. He created the penalty, and he has been very good," Iraola said.
“He wants to score for sure, but I will not focus on this. I am very happy with his performance.
"It's football. We played at home against Newcastle and Chelsea with two very good games, and we have one point. We played very well, had more chances, pushed them and you have to punish them, and we didn't.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Salah has enjoyed previous meetings against Bournemouth, netting nine goals in nine Premier League appearances against them.
Should he score against the Cherries this weekend, it will be the fourth team he has reached double figures against in the competition (after Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham).
It would also make the Egyptian the sixth player to score 10+ goals against four different opponents after Alan Shearer (12), Wayne Rooney (seven), Harry Kane (six), Andrew Cole (six) and Thierry Henry (four).
Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo
Semenyo has started the campaign in fine form for Bournemouth, recording three goal involvements (two goals and one assist) in his first four Premier League games.
The Ghana international also has previous at Anfield, having scored in the third minute of the Cherries’ 3-1 defeat on Merseyside at the start of last season.
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool come into the encounter as the overwhelming favourites to return to winning ways in the Premier League, having won nine of their last 10 Premier League meetings with Bournemouth, with the exception being a 1-0 away defeat in March 2023.
However, the Reds have now lost two of their last five Premier League home games (W3), having lost just one of their previous 58 at Anfield. They’re looking to avoid consecutive home league defeats for the first time since March 2021 (a run of six).
But no side has faced fewer shots (28) or conceded fewer goals (one) than Liverpool in the Premier League this season, while the Reds also have the lowest expected goals (xG) against (2.8) and fewest shots on target faced (10).
The Cherries have struggled on Merseyside in recent years, losing nine of their 10 away games against Liverpool in all competitions, with the exception being a 2-2 draw in the Premier League in April 2017.
Bournemouth have also only won two of their 29 Premier League away games against teams starting the day in the top four, losing 25 of those matches (D2) – the exceptions are wins at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea, 3-0 in January 2018 and 1-0 in December 2019.
But Iraola’s side have shown signs of their attacking improvement. Only Brighton (67) and Manchester City (66) have had more shots than Bournemouth (65) in the Premier League this season, with the Cherries’ average of 16.3 per game their highest in a single top-flight campaign.
OPTA WIN PROBABILTY
Liverpool – 69.7%
Draw – 16.9%
Bournemouth – 13.4%
Antigua's Grenades FC secure first Caribbean Cup point after 1-1 stalemate with AC Port of Spain
Antiguan outfit Grenades FC secured their first point of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they came from behind to hold AC Port of Spain to a 1-1 stalemate in a lukewarm Group B contest at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain on Tuesday.
Shackiel Smek Henry (21st) put AC Port of Spain in front, but that strike was cancelled out by Sean Tomlinson (90+5), who ensured Grenades FC registered their first point of the campaign.
AC Port of Spain remain third on two points behind the Dominican Republic duo of Moca FC and Cibao FC, both on four points each. Haiti’s Ouanaminthe sit fourth on a point, while Grenades remain at the foot of the five-team standings.
With both teams coming of losses in their previous encounters, it was anybody’s guess where the points would go. However, AC Port of Spain being the more illustrious of the two, coupled with the fact that they were at home, was slightly favoured to notch their first win of the campaign.
They seemed well on their way to achieving that feat when Henry pounced on a loose ball and fired home from close range.
Though they were forced into substituting goalkeeper Denzil Smith, who was replaced by Marvin Phillip, AC Port of Spain were still in safe hands. This, as Phillip immediately impacted the contest when he denied Quinton Griffith from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute.
Duane Muckette should have doubled AC Port of Spain’s lead from the penalty spot on the hour mark, but his tame kick was kept out by Zaieem Scott in goal for Grenades FC.
That missed opportunity would later haunt them as Tomlinson injected tempo in the latter staged of the contest for Grenades. He should have pulled them level in the 85th, but muffed his effort in a one-on-one situation with Phillip, who left his line well.
However, Tomlinson made amends on the final play of the encounter as he expertly headed home Keanu Barrett’s weighted cross, giving Phillip no chance at a save in time added.
With the point set to serve as a morale booster, Grenades will be hoping to convert it to a win when they square off against Ouanaminthe FC in Dominican Republic next Tuesday, while AC Port of Spain will host Cibao FC on the same day.
Martial set for AEK Athens move after Man United exit
Former Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is set to complete a permanent transfer to Greek Super League side AEK Athens.
Martial, who left United earlier this year following the expiry of his contract, will arrive in Greece later on Wednesday and sign a deal reportedly worth £2.5million per season.
The Frenchman's contract will see him become the Greek side's top earner and surpass former Tottenham man Erik Lamela, who joined the club in July.
Martial arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 for £36m, with his move the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager.
He marked his debut with a goal in a 3-1 victory over Liverpool, and went on to score 17 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions during his debut year with the Red Devils.
Martial enjoyed his most prolific campaign in 2019-20, registering 34 goal contributions (23 goals and 11 assists), but subsequently struggled to regain his goalscoring touch.
Over the next four seasons, the Frenchman netted 19 times in all competitions, and played just 629 minutes under Erik ten Hag last term.
Martial ended his United career with 90 goals in 317 appearances along with four trophies, including the 2016-17 Europa League.
He will join a number of former Premier League players at AEK, including ex-Watford stars Roberto Pereyra and Nordin Amrabat, as well as former Brentford goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
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