The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool is quickly starting to manifest itself as a clash of the Premier League's two best coaches.
For three years, German goofball Jurgen Klopp and the enigmatic Pep Guardiola have kept it respectful and civil.
There has been nothing like the toxic enmity which infused Spanish football when Guardiola and Jose Mourinho went head to head as the main men at Barcelona and Real Madrid – and it is unlikely there will be.
But Guardiola's jab at Sadio Mane's penchant for hurling himself to the ground this week was met with Klopp's riposte about tactical fouls, and a staunch defence of his player.
On the final whistle on Sunday, these matters will be resolved by a back-slap and a handshake, no doubt.
But where it matters, on the pitch, Guardiola has been winning the fight hands down, just as he did with Mourinho.
In head to head games, it could not be closer, with two wins each and two draws in the six encounters between the two since Guardiola became City boss in 2016.
And with Liverpool claiming victory in both legs of the 2018 Champions League quarter-final, Liverpool fans might claim that Klopp has the edge.
But titles are not won in head to head games, and when you examine the record of the respective managers, Guardiola has sprinted ahead of a rival who had a 30-match head start.
Klopp took the reins at Liverpool in October 2015, while Guardiola moved in to the City hot-seat the following summer.
As a result, the German has been in charge for 155 Premier League games, as opposed to Guardiola's 125.
And yet, amazingly, both managers have won 95 matches. That gives Klopp a respectable win rate of 61 per cent, the best in Liverpool's illustrious history.
But it pales in comparison to Guardiola's stunning 76.6 per cent win rate, easily the best in Premier League history, ahead of Antonio Conte's 67.1 per cent at Chelsea.
In terms of defeats, Guardiola has lost 14 times and Klopp 20, while City are not far behind Liverpool in terms of goals scored, with 315 to 331, despite playing 30 games fewer.
Guardiola has picked up seven Manager of the Month awards to Klopp's five, but of course, there is one stat that matters above all others.
Guardola has won the league title in two of his three seasons, while Klopp has yet to achieve that feat.
In fact, Klopp's triumph in the Champions League final this year brought him his only major trophy since he joined Liverpool.
Guardiola, after a pot-less first season, has added two League Cups, an FA Cup and two Community Shields to his impressive career haul.
Such stats mean nothing going into Sunday's game of course – but in the long run, Guardiola has proved he is a serial winner. Klopp has yet to do so.