Liverpool vs. Manchester City: Pep Guardiola's Key Pre-Match Presser Comments

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has suggested six teams can still win the 2016-17 Premier League title ahead of his side's clash with Liverpool on Saturday.  

Guardiola was speaking to the press on Friday prior what promises to be a huge occasion at Anfield on Saturday evening in the race for top spot. The Reds sit a point ahead of City in second place, although both teams need to ensure they pick up three points to keep pace with runaway leaders Chelsea; the Blues are six points clear of Liverpool.

While Chelsea are undoubtedly favourites at this stage of the campaign, Guardiola was adamant the race is far from run yet, as there is no dominant force in the division, per the City Twitter feed:

Questions have been asked as to whether this City team is capable of going all the way this season, and their efforts at Anfield will likely reveal a lot about their credentials.

Guardiola challenged his players to overcome what will undoubtedly be a hostile atmosphere at Anfield and to match the vibrancy with which their opponents operate.

"I don't know what will happen," he said, per Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News (via the Daily Mirror). "We have to equal their intensity. Anfield is going to play a big role for them but what happened in the past stays in the past."

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Indeed, having come up against Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp during their time together in Germany, Guardiola will have an idea of the kind of challenge his team will face tactically.

"Liverpool are contenders," he said of the German's side, per the City Twitter feed. "I was lucky enough to play against [Klopp], we know each other well."

The game will also likely see the return of Sergio Aguero to the City side. The striker has sat out the last four matches after picking up a red card in the 3-1 loss against Chelsea; he's missed seven games through different suspensions already this season.

Guardiola is not expecting too much rustiness from his star centre-forward, though:

Additionally, the City boss was quizzed about speculation linking the Etihad Stadium side with a move for Real Madrid man Isco; according to Alvaro de la Rosa of AS, Guardiola is a big fan of the Spain international and is keeping a keen eye on the player's situation, with his contract due to expire in 2018.

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But Guardiola's response when asked if there was any genuine interest in the playmaker was "I have no idea," per the City Twitter feed.

In terms of the personnel available to Guardiola at Anfield, he confirmed John Stones is ready for selection, although the match will come too soon for Leroy Sane and captain Vincent Kompany, per Andy Hampson of the Press Association:

A clash at Anfield against a superb Liverpool side will be a major examination of just how far along this City side is in their development as things stand. There have been small signs the team is purring again in recent weeks, although Guardiola will want to see his team put it together on what will be a massive stage.

The City boss has a reputation for extravagant tactical plans for these mammoth games, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise if we were to see something a little left field from the coach. Even so, he'll be looking to big players, like Aguero, to make the difference in what should be an even affair.