Pep Guardiola will manage his 1,000th game when Manchester City host Liverpool on Sunday, with the manager thanking “the universe” for having the perfect opponent to mark the milestone.

In 999 matches leading Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, Guardiola has earned 715 victories, a win-rate of 71.57%, and claimed a staggering 39 trophies. While the 54-year-old agrees with Sir Alex Ferguson that his success has somewhat depended on having outstanding players, Guardiola believes his own stellar qualities are behind his longevity and success.

“Dedication, passion, love – in that nobody beats me,” he said. “We have won incredible things in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here. It is difficult to reach and if I start again I would not reach it, it is too much games. A few defeats in 1,000 games and hopefully on Sunday I hope we can continue.

“I completely agree with Sir Alex. It looks like I have false humility but this amount – every 10 games we win seven and will draw...