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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits Liverpool's attack is “almost unstoppable” – but has pinpointed a surprise other threat in their Champions League showdown.

Guardiola brings his side to Anfield on Wednesday night for the first leg of their blockbusting all-Premier League quarter-final clash.

Liverpool are the only team to beat champions-elect City in the top flight this season, with front trio Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane all finding the target in a 4-3 home win in January.

However, Guardiola made a point of singling out the Reds' opening goalscorer that afternoon, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as a danger man when discussing how best to deal with 37-goal Salah.

“Not just him, Mane and Firmino, all three, they are almost unstoppable,” said the City boss. “They are fantastic, fantastic players.

“The way Liverpool plays is so complicated for us. We know that. They are so quick, they are so good and it is tough, but it is quarter-final of Champions League so we cannot expect in that level that something is going to be easy.

“If we are able, okay, (we're in the) semi-finals. If we are not able, congratulations Liverpool and next season we will be back stronger but we are going to try.

“What would be a good result for us? 0-6 will be good! Normally that is (not) going to happen. I never like a manager think ‘what is a bad result?’.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“Score goals away is so important and we are going to try to score goals but we cannot deny three people running up front plus Chamberlain in the middle plus set-pieces with (Virgil) Van Dijk – they are an extraordinary team.

“But that is happening in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. If you are playing against Barcelona or Madrid or against Bayern Munich or Juventus or Roma or Sevilla, in that level you stop.”

City named a strong team in their 3-1 win at Everton on Saturday but were without Sergio Aguero, who was sidelined with a knee injury.

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And asked if the Argentina international would be available on Wednesday, Guardiola said: “We will see. Still he didn’t train. One training session. Hopefully he is much much better.

“In these situations it is day by day. Hopefully he can help us. Maybe not in the beginning. Maybe the bench.

“Or because after that we have United and after that you have Liverpool in the second leg and maybe you have to change the system and have six strikers to win the game and we need Aguero and Gabriel (Jesus) and Lukas Nmecha and Raz (Raheem Sterling) and everybody.

“So this is not one game, Liverpool. It is 180 minutes. You have to try and make a good performance there for the second leg.”