Mohamed Salah has lit the touch paper for tomorrow's showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool - by claiming Erling Haaland has it "easy" at the Etihad.
The Egyptian attacker tops the Premier League goalscoring charts with 24, five better than Haaland's 19, whilst also boasting an incredible 15 assists in the top-flight this season.
And in a pre-match dig at the City striker, Salah claims his numbers are even more impressive given he operates from the flank.
He said of Haaland during an interview with Sky Germany: "I respect him a lot. We may have only spoken once after the last game. But he's a striker, so his life is easier. I wish him all the best, of course.
"But his life is easy because he plays as a striker. As a winger, getting that kind of quota is pretty difficult. Any winger can tell you that. That's why I see it differently between us, because he's a striker and I'm a winger."
Salah scored and assisted in midweek in the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa - meaning he now has 49 goal contributions [29 goals and 20 assists] in all competitions this term.
Meanwhile, Haaland was an unused substitute on Wednesday night as City were dumped out of the Champions League following their 3-1 play-off second-leg defeat at the Bernabeu.
The 24-year-old, who raised concerns over his fitness during private dialogue with Pep Guardiola on the morning of the match, remains a doubt to face Liverpool due to a knee issue.
Salah is set to lock horns with international team-mate Omar Marmoush at the Etihad following his £59million January switch from Eintracht Frankfurt. Marmoush rattled in an impressive hat-trick last weekend as City demolished Newcastle 4-0.
Liverpool's talisman said of his compatriot: "He's like a little brother. I told him that I'm always there if he needs anything. We've written to each other a few times and we've always spoken to each other in the national team. Our relationship is good."
Salah, who is out of contract at the end of the season, revealed he was surprised by Arne Slot's instant impact at Anfield following the departure of Jurgen Klopp.
He said of the Dutchman: "I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. But the coach hasn't changed that much for us. He likes counter-pressing, we still play on the counter, but he wants us to have more control of the ball. So, it's a little different, but I don't see a very big difference."