Manchester City and Liverpool are engaged in a battle royale for the Premier League title with the race fully expected to go right down to the wire.
It's been a cat and mouse chase between Merseyside's reds and Manchester's blues for much of the season, with the leadership regularly swapping hands.
City retook top spot on goal difference following their win at Everton on Wednesday evening after Liverpool saw a seven-point lead whittled away in just a week.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (left) and his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola are set to slug it out for the Premier League title between now and May
We are in for a titanic battle for the Premier League title, with only goal difference separating the main contenders Manchester City and Liverpool
Pep Guardiola's side face a tough challenge this Sunday when they host Chelsea, 24 hours after Jurgen Klopp's men face Bournemouth at Anfield.
But with just a dozen matches left in the season, which of City or Liverpool has the strongest team to cope with the mounting pressure?
Sportsmail compares their two strongest XIs on current form in our high court.
GOALKEEPEREderson (Manchester City): The Brazilian sweeper-keeper may occasionally exasperate Guardiola, such as when he dribbled the ball into midfield against Wolves the other week, but he rarely puts a foot wrong.
He has been excellent since arriving from Benfica a year-and-a-half ago, fitting perfectly into City's style with his bravado and distribution. 9/10
Alisson (Liverpool): With 13 clean sheets in 25 Premier League matches this season and just 15 goals conceded, Alisson is proving very much worth the sizeable £67million investment Liverpool made in the summer.
What was a problem position last season has become a strength with the Brazilian pretty much performing flawlessly during his first season in England. 9/10
Goalkeepers Ederson (left) and Alisson (right) have both impressed for their respective teams
Kyle Walker (Manchester City): It hasn't been the easiest start to the year for City's first-choice right back Walker, who was dropped from the team last month after a poor performance in the home loss to Crystal Palace.
A short pre-season following England's run to the World Cup semi-finals could be the main factor but Walker has since regained his place and offers City more in that position than anyone else, both defensively and offensively. 8.5/10
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool): It comes as a boost to Klopp that first-choice right-back Alexander-Arnold is back in contention for the Bournemouth match following a knee injury.
James Milner had been deputising there after the decision to loan Nathaniel Clyne to Bournemouth but offers nothing like the dynamism the 20-year-old wing-back does to his team. 8.5/10
England stars Kyle Walker (left) and Trent Alexander-Arnold bring dynamism to their teams
John Stones (Manchester City): Given how Stones has matured into a top class centre half at City, it is often surprising how Guardiola keeps dropping him from the team in the Premier League.
The manager even went with defensive midfielder Fernandinho at centre-half in the recent win at Arsenal but surely it is explained by a desire to keep Stones fresh for bigger tests given his poise and command at the back. 8.5/10
Joel Matip (Liverpool): The big Cameroon international currently has a run in the side with Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren both out injured but his return has coincided with some shaky defensive moments for the Reds.
The fact Matip has rarely started matches this season tells you plenty about Klopp's lack of faith in him and it isn't an ideal situation during a title pursuit. 7.5/10
John Stones (left) has been a commanding presence in City's defence, but Liverpool haven't played Joel Matip (right) too often
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City): It isn't easy to be an ever-present in such a talented City squad, but Laporte has been involved in every Premier League and Champions League game they have played this season.
The Frenchman has excelled at the back and is clearly well-regarded by Guardiola, who clearly has him as one of the first picks on his teamsheet each week. 9/10
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool): Talking of ever-presents, Van Dijk has not missed a beat in the Premier League or in Europe this season, completing every single minute at the heart of the Liverpool defence.
And that's the greatest testament possible to the Dutchman, who has been Liverpool's best player this season in a team whose new-found resoluteness at the back is mainly down to his qualities. 10/10
Both Aymeric Laporte (left) and Virgil van Dijk have performed impressively this season
Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City): It's such a shame that Mendy's time at City has been so dogged with injury issues because the French World Cup winner has been excellent when he has played.
He is slowly being nursed back from knee surgery but could feature against Chelsea on Sunday and is head and shoulders above the stopgaps that Guardiola has used in that position. 8/10
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool): The Scot committed his long-term future to Anfield by signing a five-year contract last month and that tells you everything about how much he is valued at the club.
Has missed just two of 25 league matches this season and has
