Incredible Premier League conclusion has shown that Pep Guardiola’s Man City may still need to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team

The Premier League rivalry between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola was thought to have ended after Liverpool and Man City played out a thrilling 1-1 draw earlier this month.

With eight wins out of their 22 English football head-to-head games to the Spaniard’s seven, the German has the better head-to-head record. However, Guardiola has taken home more awards.

While Guardiola has won 16 trophies with Man City, including five Premier League crowns, Klopp has won every major award with the Reds, with his second League Cup victory last month bringing his tally at Anfield to eight.

Both Liverpool and Man City are again competing for the title again this year, with the Reds one point ahead of the reigning champions, who currently sit third, with 10 Premier League fixtures remaining.

But while the pair are continuing to battle each other as a result, their 1-1 draw at Anfield at Anfield signalled the end of an era ahead of Klopp’s exit at the end of the season. It was the last time the German’s Liverpool side would take to the field against Guardiola’s Man City.

Of course, such a notion was accompanied by a caveat – It was still possible that they could enjoy one final showdown at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup. However, the Reds’ quarter-final exit to Manchester United on Sunday has ended any such possibility.

Yet it is actually possible that there could still be one last meeting in the Klopp/Guardiola Liverpool/Man City rivalry. There could still be an unprecedented end to the Premier League season.

While Arsenal are current league-leaders, they only top the table on goal difference ahead of the Reds. With their next Premier League meeting away at Man City on Sunday 31 March, they could easily soon drop to third below both their title-rivals.

And with the margins so narrow between Liverpool and City, their 1-1 draw at Anfield has now opened up the possibility of the pair facing off in a Premier League title play-off at a neutral ground to decide who will be champions come the end of the season.

Should the top two sides in the table finish the campaign level on points, league position is decided on goal difference, then goals scored, then most points in the head-to-head matches, then most away goals in the head-to-head record.

Liverpool currently boast one point more than City and hold a superior goal difference by four (+39 to +35), having scored two more goals than their rivals and conceded two less. It is still feasible that such records could end up identical come May.

Beyond that, it comes to head-to-head record. Yet Liverpool and Man City fought out 1-1 draws at both the Etihad and at Anfield. Consequently, there would be no way to separate them and, in such a scenario, a 39th game would be required.

In contrast, there is no chance of the Reds contesting a Premier League play-off to decide the destination of the title if they finished level on points with Arsenal.

The Gunners boast a superior GD of +46 (having scored five more and conceded two less than Liverpool) and also beat Klopp’s men on head-to-head record. They drew 1-1 at Anfield back in December, before winning 3-1 at the Emirates at the start of February.

With Mikel Arteta’s men winning 1-0 at home to Man City back in October, only a 1-0 loss at the Etihad next month would make their own Premier League title play-off against Guardiola’s men possible.

Admittedly, numerous stars still need to align for such a play-off scenario to become reality. But it does remain a possibility that a 39th game would be required to separate Liverpool and City after their 1-1 draw at Anfield ensured an identical head-to-head record.

There will no doubt be plenty more twists and turns over the final 10 games of the season, but as things stand, there is virtually nothing to separate Klopp and Guardiola’s sides. Dropped points here and a heavy win there, and the pair could easily find themselves having to lock horns once more.

At the very least, it would be the most fitting end to Klopp and Guardiola’s rivalry on English soil, facing off in a play-off clash where the stakes have never been higher. In what would be the most exciting finish ever to a Premier League season, one last clash between the old foes cannot yet be discounted despite Liverpool’s FA Cup exit.