Pep Guardiola says his players will do their talking on the pitch against Liverpool after comments by Trent Alexander-Arnold sparked a response from Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Rúben Dias.

Alexander-Arnold said Liverpool’s trophies in recent years “mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs financially”, to which Haaland pointed out that the right-back did not know how it feels to win a treble and Dias said: “You only know when you do it.”

The top two meet at Anfield on Sunday in what could be a crucial match to decide who wins the Premier League. “Do you think we’re not going to fight because Erling and Rúben talk?” Guardiola asked. “Without these talks we will not fight? We are there and, after what happened over the last years, we are going to try again and do a good game.

“They defend the club not by responding to this guy but what they have done for many years on the pitch every three days. That is the best way. I could answer him [Alexander-Arnold], but why? It is what it is. I’m incredibly proud of what we have done and I don’t need that to prove to me what my players really feel and are trying to do it.”

Guardiola, pressed further about the injured Alexander-Arnold’s remarks, said: “I wish him well. I wish him a speedy recovery and to come back to the pitch as soon as possible.”

This could be the final time the departing Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, comes up against Guardiola. The two have had a longstanding rivalry, having also faced each other in the Bundesliga. Klopp defended Alexander-Arnold’s comments.

“He stood on the bins [watching training] before he played for the club, he played through all youth teams. What would you think in that situation? One of our slogans, which I love, is ‘This means more’, and it means more – to us. We have no clue 100% what it means to other people but what happens here means more to us.

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“We had, two years ago, a parade after winning the League Cup and FA Cup, losing a Champions League final the night before, losing the league by a point. Tell me a city where you have a parade and it looks like we won all these trophies without having them. The club is special to us. If it is not special to other people, we can’t change that. But if we feel it like, why shouldn’t we be allowed to say it? It is just how he feels and we feel and I have absolutely no problem with that.”