STERLING DISPLAY CAN HALT RAMPANT REDS

RAHEEM STERLING insists Manchester City can stop Liverpool’s title juggernaut when they collide on Thursday.

The forward is undaunted about facing Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Reds, who have reeled off nine straight wins to open up a seven-point lead at the top.

Sterling claims City can be just as impressive on their day and believes Pep Guardiola’s champions can beat any team in the Premier League.

He said: “If we can play the way we know we can play we can beat anyone. It’s going to be a great game and we’re all looking forward to it.”

The clash at the Etihad is must-win for City because defeat would leave them trailing the Reds by 10 points.

They failed their last huge test against Liverpool, losing both legs of their Champions League quarter-final tie last season, but Sterling insists they are confident.

He claims their mood has been transformed by their 3-1 win at Southampton and was the ideal response to suffering back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester.

Sterling said: “It was massive to win and we knew we had to win to give ourselves a chance.

“It’s a massive step and just what we needed to do. We had two poor games and we knew we needed to win to give ourselves a chance.

“Our previous two results were difficult to take and we bounced back brilliantly.

“We owed it to ourselves and as a team to bring that level we know we can. It’s up to us to keep that focus and go on.”