Arsenal are not Manchester City’s biggest domestic rivals, Etihad Stadium club captain Bernardo Silva has insisted during a new interview.

The debate over who truly stands as City’s fiercest competition in English football has grown more intense in recent seasons, with Arsenal having risen under Mikel Arteta and pushing Pep Guardiola’s side hard in successive Premier League campaigns.

While Manchester United continue to provide local drama despite their inconsistent form, for Bernardo Silva it is another familiar adversary that stands above the rest when it comes to defining battles with Guardiola’s squad.

Manchester City’s contests with Liverpool have been among the defining features of the Premier League’s modern era, as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp oversaw title races that were decided by the finest of margins including in the 2018/19 season where City pipped the Merseyside club by a single point.

Speaking during a new interview around the eventual 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, Bernardo Silva was quizzed on who he believes are his side’s biggest rivals in English football.

“Manchester United have been going through a quite difficult phase through the last years. It’s a rivalry because we’re in the same city,” the Portugal international said of their local neighbours in the north-west.

“I’d say our biggest rival by far is Liverpool, because those are the guys that always competed with us for titles, and managed to also win titles,” he continued. “Then you definitely see a team like Arsenal over the years getting better and better, being able to start fighting for titles, even though they haven’t still reached that level of achieving it.”

However, Bernardo Silva concluded, “The rivalries are quite different, but until now I’d say our rivals, big rivals were always Liverpool.”

Looking ahead, the comments could stir further debate among supporters and pundits alike as Arsenal’s resurgence under Mikel Arteta has already seen them named by both Bernardo Silva and Rodri as strong title contenders this season.

Yet Bernardo Silva’s insistence on Liverpool being Manchester City’s main rival highlights where the Etihad Stadium camp still places their toughest battles among competitors within the English game.

With Manchester City still striving to rediscover their peak form after a mixed start to the campaign, Pep Guardiola will be mindful that the road to the Premier League crown may once again be shaped by decisive fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal.