In fullJordan Henderson's Manchester City programme notes

The captain writes: “There are games where you don’t even have to look at the league table to know how tough they will be and any fixture against Manchester City falls into that category. This is an encounter to whet the appetite and we know there are no shortcuts to be found on days like this.

“If we want to win, we are going to have to play very, very well – it is as simple as that.

“I know comparisons between the two clubs will not be too favourable at the minute and that is disappointing from our perspective. The fact is we haven’t done ourselves justice so far this season while City have been setting their usual standards and the gap in our respective points totals reflects this. But while I don’t need anyone to tell me what a good side City are, I have no doubt that we are better than we have shown and this is something we need to change.

“Seeing our current position in the Premier League is not something I could ever get used to. One of our greatest strengths in recent seasons has been our consistency, both in terms of performance and results.

“We have fallen short on both fronts since the season got under way and while there might be reasons and mitigating factors that can help explain why this has been the case, I don’t have much interest in anything other than solutions.

“The good thing is that we can find those solutions ourselves. The quality level in this squad is frightening. I see it on a daily basis so the key is to produce on a matchday and on a regular basis.

“That isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds, but it has to be our immediate aim and it is our immediate aim. The way we played at Rangers is a good start in this regard, but that is all it is. Now we have to follow it up so that performances like that become the norm.

“I don’t want to dwell too much on that game because the focus always has to be on the next one –especially when you are coming up against an opponent as strong as City – but there were a lot of positives that we should be taking into this fixture. The quality we produced in the second half speaks for itself and we scored some brilliant goals so, again, these are levels that we have to find repeatedly.

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“Like everyone else, I have been keeping an eye on what Erling Haaland has been doing since he arrived in English football and you have to leave all bias to one side and say he has been absolutely incredible.

“Maybe it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise because City’s quality has been clear for some time and so has his ability to score goals, but for team and player to connect so quickly and so effectively having just come together is not what anyone would consider normal.

“The big mistake, though, would be to focus solely on Haaland. He is clearly a special talent and one who has the quality to do a lot of damage against any side, but both history and current form tells us that City under Pep Guardiola are anything but a one-man team.

“Even more importantly than that, though, we have players in our own ranks who are capable of deciding even the very biggest games so it makes sense to believe in ourselves even though we know outsiders will be questioning us and maybe even doubting whether we can get back to previous levels.

“Looking back to our games against City last season, I don’t think there will have been too many matches played over the last 12 months that had more quality than those.

“As the results suggest, there was not too much between the two teams and some of the football played at both Anfield and the Etihad was of the very highest standard. That’s actually the way it’s been for a good few years now and it has been a privilege to play in these fixtures.

“Our respect for City, the football they play and the success they continue to have could not be greater, but we know that at the very least we can compete with them. That is exactly what we have to do on Sunday. If we do that then let’s see where it takes us.”

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