John Stones identifies Man City title edge over Liverpool FC ahead of Premier League showdown

John Stones has dismissed the idea that Sunday’s showdown with Liverpool will decide the destiny of the Premier League title. But the Manchester City defender feels that his team’s experience of seeing out a season will stand them in good stead in the next few weeks.

Unlike Liverpool, who blew up in 2014 to let City overhaul them and claim the crown, the Blues have never let the league title slip from a winning position, and the last time they were involved in a tight finish with Jurgen Klopp’s team - in 2018-19 - they handled the pressure to hold off the Merseysiders and win it on the final day of the season.

But that season run-in did not involve a head-to-head between the two teams, and this time Liverpool have it in their own hands to leapfrog City by winning on Sunday. Stones, however, denied that Sunday’s meeting is a winner-takes-all affair, with both teams still having another seven games left afterwards.

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Asked if the match will be decisive, Stones said: “I don't think so. I don't think about it too much like that because you can get carried away. Obviously, it's an important game, we're first and second in the table – everyone knows that – but we have to concentrate on us and how we play our football and don't change our football.

“This week is vital for us in how we prepare and we stay calm about that because we've been in situations like this before. Three years ago it came down to the last game, so we've been in these situations before and the experience of that time we definitely learned from.

“We went 14 games unbeaten and we know every game is so important to us. We try and keep on a winning run and keep as many clean sheets as we can and