Liverpool are flying under Arne Slot and sit top of the Premier League and the Champions League table, having dropped points in just two games this season.
They are five points clear of Manchester City, who have lost four games in a row in all competitions – something Pep Guardiola had never experienced before in his managerial career (excluding penalty shootouts).
Despite their recent run and speculation about the Spaniard’s future, however, Guardiola this week agreed a new one-year deal to extend his stay at Etihad Stadium to 10 years.
It is a timely boost for City, who have another potentially tough game at home to Tottenham on Saturday (17:30 GMT) as they bid to avoid five defeats in a row.
This is the sixth occasion a team has been five points clear after 11 games – the first five all ended up as champions.
But City have won the last four Premier League titles and trailed the leaders by more than five points at one stage in each of those seasons.
Liverpool and City have one Premier League game each before they meet in a potential blockbuster at Anfield on Sunday, 1 December.
Arsenal, who have been runners-up for the past two seasons, are four points back – level with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Brighton.
The Gunners and Forest meet on Saturday at 15:00 GMT at the Emirates.