There’s something about Liverpool that seems to send Manchester City into a parallel universe.
Pep Guardiola has never won at Anfield. Neither has David Silva in a decade which has seen him win four Premier League titles with City. Sergio Aguero hasn't either; in fact the Argentinian striker has never scored at the Reds’ ground in 12 attempts.
City, themselves, have won only once at Anfield in the last 39 years, although their record against their rivals is considerably better at the Etihad Stadium ahead of another rematch this Thursday.
Raheem Sterling is another to be cursed when facing the club he left in controversial circumstances five years ago. The England international only broke his duck of scoring against his former club anywhere at the 11th attempt in August when City won the Community Shield.
That victory continued a run of success that would see them win eight of nine trophies available until Liverpool were confirmed as the new Premier League champions last week.
The Wembley win should also have been a warning to Jurgen Klopp's side that City were ready and waiting for another titanic battle, after they beat them to the 2019 title by a single point on the last day of the season - winning their final 14 matches.
But it didn't work out that way and Liverpool’s first match as champions in 30 years will be at the home of their rivals - 23 points clear with seven games remaining.
Guardiola’s players will give a guard of honour to their visitors before the match and, while that is correct and the respectful thing to do, it will reinforce the painful realisation that their domestic domination has slipped.
The Community Shield victory at Wembley didn’t prove to be a warning shot, but City will want to send a more meaningful message for next season this time with Sterling leading the charge.
The 25-year-old will not have wanted an enforced three-month break from football, but it may have provided an opportunity for him to refresh and re-energise after a non-stop run with City and England.
While he has already broken through the 20-goal barrier for a third successive year, his form at the start of the New Year was not his best.
Sterling did not score between the start of 2020 and football in England shutting down as a precaution following the Covid-19 outbreak in March. A goalless streak that stretched for 12 games, it was his longest run without a goal since the winter of 2016-17.
But since football returned, Sterling has looked rejuvenated. He was the first player to strike in the new era of matches played behind closed doors, with a clinical finish in the 3-0 victory over Arsenal.
His goal in the 2-0 FA Cup victory over Newcastle on Sunday was even more impressive. In a tight game against an ultra-defensive Newcastle, he created space with a clever switch inside before unleashing a controlled 20-yard curling effort to kill off the tie and send City back to Wembley for a semi-final against Arsenal.
Liverpool, of course, are a different proposition, although Sterling believed before their November meeting that he has got over the difficulty of facing his old side and the issues that surrounded his acrimonious switch in 2015.
"It was weird at first, to see yourself in a different shirt and, against a club that’s done so much for you. It’s also emotional," he said before City's visit to Anfield that ended in a 3-1 defeat.
“But now I have matured past that and feel I have had some good games against them. Now I’ve got past that stage. It’s gone.
“It was a little thing but I’m now fully focused and fully ready.”
That return didn't go too well but now fully firing and with the pressure off, it could be the right time for Sterling to face his old employers and bury the hoodoo once and for all.
Much has been said about the potential for Klopp to build a new dynasty at Anfield on the back of their Champions League success last year and domination of this season’s Premier League campaign.
But defending the Premier League title is not easy - City are the only team to have done it in the last 12 years. Sterling and his team-mates will be keen to send a reminder of that fact when they square off this week.
