Enzo Maresca: Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's rivalry has been riveting

The Foxes head coach was one of Guardiola's assistants last season and helped Manchester City win a third straight top-flight title.

Guardiola has won five crowns compared to Klopp's sole 2019-20 Premier League victory with Liverpool, the Reds coming second twice since Guardiola arrived in England in 2016.

Leicester go to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday and Maresca knows Klopp would have more Premier League medals without Guardiola.

"For sure, I really enjoy the challenge between them in the last five or 10 years. I think they also enjoy, as a club, to fight between them," he said.

"Liverpool are very intense, very aggressive, it doesn't matter what the game is, the opponent or the competition. They are a machine.

"But it's impossible to maintain the same level for five, six, seven years. Very soon they will be at the same level they have been for the last two or three years.

"They have been unbelievable. With Manchester City they have been the two teams who have been competing and trying to win titles."

Maresca has guided Leicester to the top of the Championship, having won nine of his first 10 games, but knows their fine start will come under threat soon enough.

"Last night a big manager, a big friend, said to me the more you win the closer the defeat," he said.

"We are doing quite well in terms of the way we are playing and the results but we can't lose focus on reality.

"After 10 games we're in the right position, in terms of the way we are improving and that's the most significant thing.

"We're not a Premier League club, we don't need the Premier League levels. We are a Championship club and we need Championship levels but because we are playing against Liverpool - a top team in Europe and the world - we need something extra."

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