Manchester (AP) – National soccer player Ilkay Gündogan currently considers Manchester City’s Premier League game against Liverpool FC to be “the biggest game on the continent”.
“The two best teams in the best league meet and both are also among the closest favorites in the Champions League,” said the city captain to the editorial network Germany. “If I look at the reporting in Germany around this weekend, then the interest in this game seems to be greater there at the moment than in their own Bundesliga.”
Defending champions and leaders Manchester City will receive Liverpool from coach Jürgen Klopp on Sunday (5:30 p.m. / Sky). The Reds are just a point behind Klopp’s colleague Pep Guardiola’s team.
According to Gündogan, the winner of the game has at least one psychological advantage. “In any case, the winner goes into the remaining games as favorites. Not just in terms of points, but in terms of self-confidence,” said the 31-year-old. “If we win, we could theoretically drop points again in the rest of the season.”
Gündogan, who has been Germany’s record goalscorer in the Premier League since last weekend with 34 goals, can win three major titles this year. In addition to the championship with City, the Champions League and the World Cup are also possible. Winning all three titles “would almost be too good to be true,” said the midfielder, who is considered to be in the national team by national coach Hansi Flick. “Honestly, even two out of three would be absolutely outstanding.”