Jurgen Klopp considers Pep Guardiola to be the best manager in the world, believing his record in management is unmatched.
Guardiola guided Manchester City to the Premier League title last season as they became first team in English top-flight history to reach 100 points.
The Spaniard won a trio of La Liga titles and the Champions League twice at Barcelona before taking charge of Bayern Munich, where he lifted three consecutive Bundesliga crowns.
And Klopp had high praise for his opposite number ahead of the meeting between the two teams at Anfield on Sunday.
“What he has been doing since he started his career as a manager, I never heard of something similar,” Klopp said. “People in Liverpool would say differently about big Bill [Shankly] and big Bob [Paisley], but it is hard to compare eras as the times are completely different. But still doing the right things consistently is quality, obviously.
“He is the best manager in the world, no doubt about that. No doubt about that.”
The managers have faced each other 14 times in their careers, with Klopp winning eight of those meetings as manager of Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.
They will meet again at Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool look to secure their fourth successive win over City, who currently sit of the table.
“People said he has always had better teams than I had, but I would not even compare myself with him,” Klopp continued. “I see his teams playing and I know that is really exceptional. I see what he did in different teams.
“Yes, he had better teams, that is true, more experienced, Bayern, Barcelona, we don’t have to talk about that. The target for us is to come closer.”