Man City will be back challenging for the Premier League title next season, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said ahead of the two sides meeting at the Etihad on Super Sunday.

City proved the biggest thorn in Liverpool’s side for Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp, twice pipping them by a point to the title.

But this season, Pep Guardiola’s side sit 17 points behind their rivals, who are odds-on favourites to win their second Premier League crown ahead of their visit to the Etihad this weekend, live on Sky Sports.

Speaking ahead of the game, Slot said he was as shocked as the rest of the Premier League with the magnitude of City’s issues this season, but said after a £180m January investment they were already on their way back again – and are sure to be back challenging Liverpool for the title next season.

“Everybody is surprised that City is not up there because they’ve been up there for so many years,” Slot said.

“They have a great manager who has shown that he can be up there every single season. So I don’t think anyone would have expected them now to be so many points behind us. I do see they are coming up again.

“I think last weekend they were very good against Newcastle. They have already brought in three or four new players, so I think everybody knows that this probably is a one-time season that they are not up there.

“Everybody knows that this is a one-time season that they are not up there, and everybody, at least I, expect them to be up there next season again because you can already see them going up. So that is a surprise, but I think they are already much better. They had one or two difficult months.”

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“They started the season well, I think they are getting there now again. But they dropped too many points in a difficult period of the season, where they had many injuries as well. And then this league is ruthless. If you are not at your best, then every game is hard.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk shares his manager’s sentiment. The Reds are unbeaten in their last three against the champions but have won only one league game at the Etihad in the last 15 years – back in November 2015.

“One hundred per cent,” Van Dijk said when asked if City remain dangerous despite their underwhelming season.

“They beat Newcastle 4-0 the other day. They were champions four times in a row for a reason. So they deserve all the respect they get and we will definitely give them that.

“But on Sunday, we’re going to go there and try to win the game. And we know it’s going to be difficult because we haven’t won there for a long time in the Premier League, we all know that. But we have to go out there with being brave, together with our fans and give everything that we have and try to get a step closer.”

A title win this season would be Liverpool’s 20th and would match the record currently held by Manchester United.

Recent setbacks at Everton and Aston Villa mean second-placed Arsenal remain in the hunt, but Van Dijk says Liverpool’s focus is on their own results rather than those of Mikel Arteta’s side.

“Arsenal are chasing and we are trying to win each and every game as well,” he told Sky Sports.

“For us, that’s why I said it many times already, we have to just focus on ourselves. And that’s the main thing. If we win our games – and that’s a tough thing already – then we’re going to be good. But we have to just keep focusing.”

Watch Man City vs Liverpool live on Super Sunday this weekend with kick-off at 4.30pm.