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Manchester City and Liverpool are engaged in a battle royale for the Premier League title with the race fully expected to go right down to the wire.
It’s been a cat and mouse chase between Merseyside’s reds and Manchester’s blues for much of the season, with the leadership regularly swapping hands.
City retook top spot on goal difference following their win at Everton on Wednesday evening after Liverpool saw a seven-point lead whittled away in just a week.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (left) and his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola are set to slug it out for the Premier League title between now and May
We are in for a titanic battle for the Premier League title, with only goal difference separating the main contenders Manchester City and Liverpool
Pep Guardiola’s side face a tough challenge this Sunday when they host Chelsea, 24 hours after Jurgen Klopp’s men face Bournemouth at Anfield.
But with just a dozen matches left in the season, which of City or Liverpool has the strongest team to cope with the mounting pressure?
Sportsmail compares their two strongest XIs on current form in our high court.
GOALKEEPER
Ederson (Manchester City): The Brazilian sweeper-keeper may occasionally exasperate Guardiola, such as when he dribbled the ball into midfield against Wolves the other week, but he rarely puts a foot wrong.
He has been excellent since arriving from Benfica a year-and-a-half ago, fitting perfectly into City’s style with his bravado and distribution. 9/10
Alisson (Liverpool): With 13 clean sheets in 25 Premier League matches this season and just 15 goals conceded, Alisson is proving very much worth the sizeable £67million investment Liverpool made in the summer.
What was a problem position last season has become a strength with the Brazilian pretty much performing flawlessly during his first season in England. 9/10
Goalkeepers Ederson (left) and Alisson (right) have both impressed for their respective teams
RIGHT BACK
Kyle Walker (Manchester City): It hasn’t been the easiest start to the year for City’s first-choice right back Walker, who was dropped from the team last month after a poor performance in the home loss to Crystal Palace.
A short pre-season following England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals could be the main factor but Walker has since regained his place and offers City more in that position than anyone else, both defensively and offensively. 8.5/10
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool): It comes as a boost to Klopp that first-choice right-back Alexander-Arnold is back in contention for the Bournemouth match following a knee injury.
James Milner had been deputising there after the decision to loan Nathaniel Clyne to Bournemouth but offers nothing like the dynamism the 20-year-old wing-back does to his team. 8.5/10
England stars Kyle Walker (left) and Trent Alexander-Arnold bring dynamism to their teams
CENTRE BACK
John Stones (Manchester City): Given how Stones has matured into a top class centre half at City, it is often surprising how Guardiola keeps dropping him from the team in the Premier League.
The manager even went with defensive midfielder Fernandinho at centre-half in the recent win at Arsenal but surely it is explained by a desire to keep Stones fresh for bigger tests given his poise and command at the back. 8.5/10
Joel Matip (Liverpool): The big Cameroon international currently has a run in the side with Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren both out injured but his return has coincided with some shaky defensive moments for the Reds.
The fact Matip has rarely started matches this season tells you plenty about Klopp’s lack of faith in him and it isn’t an ideal situation during a title pursuit. 7.5/10
John Stones (left) has been a commanding presence in City’s defence, but Liverpool haven’t played Joel Matip (right) too often
CENTRE BACK
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City): It isn’t easy to be an ever-present in such a talented City squad, but Laporte has been involved in every Premier League and Champions League game they have played this season.
The Frenchman has excelled at the back and is clearly well-regarded by Guardiola, who clearly has him as one of the first picks on his teamsheet each week. 9/10
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool): Talking of ever-presents, Van Dijk has not missed a beat in the Premier League or in Europe this season, completing every single minute at the heart of the Liverpool defence.
And that’s the greatest testament possible to the Dutchman, who has been Liverpool’s best player this season in a team whose new-found resoluteness at the back is mainly down to his qualities. 10/10
Both Aymeric Laporte (left) and Virgil van Dijk have performed impressively this season
LEFT BACK
Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City): It’s such a shame that Mendy’s time at City has been so dogged with injury issues because the French World Cup winner has been excellent when he has played.
He is slowly being nursed back from knee surgery but could feature against Chelsea on Sunday and is head and shoulders above the stopgaps that Guardiola has used in that position. 8/10
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool): The Scot committed his long-term future to Anfield by signing a five-year contract last month and that tells you everything about how much he is valued at the club.
Has missed just two of 25 league matches this season and has contributed five assists with his crossing and bold forward play, which compliments his diligent defensive work. 8.5/10
Benjamin Mendy (left) has been dogged by injuries but Andrew Robertson has impressed
MIDFIELD
David Silva (Manchester City): Of course City have a surfeit of world class options in their midfield but 33-year-old David Silva continues to set such high standards.
Nine goals and nine assists across all competitions this season for the silky Spaniard prove that class is permanent regardless of age. 8.5/10
Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool): The Dutch midfielder has been battling with a knee injury these past few weeks but is back in training ahead of the Bournemouth game.
Given the many high quality options Liverpool have in midfield, the fact Wijnaldum has started 20 of Liverpool’s league games this season speaks volumes for his industry in the middle of the park. 8.5/10
David Silva (left) doesn’t seem to be slowed by age while Georginio Wijnaldum has impressed
MIDFIELD
Fernandinho (Manchester City): It was no coincidence that when Fernandinho was out injured back in December, City lost consecutive matches against Crystal Palace and Leicester.
The 33-year-old Brazilian brings so much to the team both in terms of defensive cover, attacking link-up and the transitions inbetween he is pretty much invaluable. 9.5/10
Fabinho (Liverpool): After a gentle introduction into English football at the start of the season, Fabinho has started playing regularly in the Liverpool midfield.
The Brazilian has now settled in and his versatility – he slotted in at centre-half against Brighton last month – is a godsend to any manager. 8/10
Fernandinho (left) is one of the first names on the City teamsheet, while Liverpool’s Fabinho has slowly adapted well to the demands of the Premier League
MIDFIELD
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City): It’s been a hugely testing season for De Bruyne after suffering two lengthy injury absences and this has led to some inconsistent performances.
His place in the City midfield is now under challenge but there’s no question that when the Belgian is on his game, he remains one of the foremost creative players in the Premier League. 8/10
Naby Keita (Liverpool): Hailed as a game-changing presence in Liverpool’s midfield following his £52m move from RB Leipzig last summer, Keita is getting there, but slowly.
Fans have seen flashes of brilliance from him as Keita gets up to speed with Klopp’s game plan but many believe he should be offering more. 8/10
Both Kevin De Bruyne (left) and Naby Keita have shown glimpses of their class this season
FORWARD
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City): Sterling continues to flourish under Guardiola’s guidance and is enjoying another superb season with 12 goals and 14 assists across all competitions so far.
The 24-year-old must surely be a candidate for the player of the season awards if he continues to turn in such consistently devastating performances in the City forward line. 10/10
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): How daft it seems to suggest that a player with 19 goals and eight assists to their credit so far this season is still playing within themselves.
That’s only because Salah is suffering by comparison to his extraordinary level of performance in his first Liverpool season last year. If they are to end their long wait for the title, it goes without saying he’ll be key. 9.5/10
Both Raheem Sterling (left) and Mohamed Salah are enjoying high-scoring campaigns
FORWARD
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City): Aguero continues to play himself into Premier League immortality with another sensational spree of scoring form.
His hat-trick against Arsenal weekend took the Argentine to 20 goals for the season in all competitions and he is successfully keeping all the young pretenders at bay for the time being. Pure class. 10/10
Roberto Firmino (Liverpool): Despite having 11 goals to his credit this season, there have been plenty of questions marks about Firmino’s performances in the Liverpool front line, especially of late.
The Brazilian is nowhere close to the form he showed last season and his inconsistencies in recent months were summed up at West Ham where he was hooked early after a quiet night. 8/10
Sergio Aguero (left) has been in sensational scoring form but Roberto Firmino is struggling
FORWARD
Leroy Sane (Manchester City): His winning goal against Liverpool last month reignited the title race and continued what has been another impressive campaign for the German.
Despite strong competition for his place from Sterling and Riyad Mahrez, Sane has impressed with consistent performances, scoring 11 goals and contributing 13 assists. 9/10
Sadio Mane (Liverpool): Has been in very good form of late, with goals in Liverpool’s last three games against Palace, Leicester and West Ham ensuring a blip hasn’t become a crisis.
While the cohesion across Liverpool’s deadly front three hasn’t always been there this season, Mane does at least look as though he is still in his stride. 9/10
Both Leroy Sane (left) and Sadio Mane have displayed good form this season
TOTALS
Manchester City: 98/110
Liverpool: 94.5/110
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