Former Arsenal captain Robin van Persie rates Liverpool and Manchester City as the two best teams in Europe.

The Reds and City meet today in the Community Shield.

Van Persie said ahead of the season curtain-raiser: “If you look at City and Liverpool, they are the best teams not only in England but also in Europe.

“Even if you look at teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, in terms of playing from a philosophy of the coach, I think they're the best teams.

“You can really see the character of Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool side, you can really see the character of Pep Guardiola in the City side and, trust me, that is very difficult to achieve.

“To get everyone spot on — doing all the details constantly, working together defensively, offensively.

“If you can achieve that like they have, wow that is really special."