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Pep Guardiola has conceded that if Arsenal continue in their current vein of form then Manchester City will not be able to catch them unless they amass 100 points or more.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues game with Chelsea on Thursday night, the City boss heaped praise on the league leaders, saying that they played “excellent” against Newcastle. Guardiola said:
“Arsenal have an average that they will do more than 100 points if they continue the way they are. If they continue in that way, we will not catch them. We have to be almost perfect from here and hope they drop their performance and see what happens.
The way you have to reduce the gap is to play good and win games. After the World Cup many things are going to happen so we’ll see what happens until the end.”
A tough test awaits in West London
With Arsenal dropping points at home to Newcastle United on Tuesday night, City will close the gap at the top of the table to five points if they can overcome a struggling Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge.
Despite Chelsea’s poor form, Guardiola isn’t expecting an easy game:
“It’s the Premier League, every game is tough. This a tough game against a tough side who are well managed. It doesn’t matter the position you are in it is always difficult to go to Stamford Bridge.”
City will be hoping to continue their recent success at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. On their last two visits to the Bridge, Pep Guardiola’s side have come out on top but they’ll have to do it this time without Ruben Dias and potentially, Aymeric Laporte.
New contract for Rico Lewis?
During the same press conference, Guardiola also provided on an update on Rico Lewis’ contract situation at the club. The 18 year old fullback has been a revelation for Manchester City ever since coming into the starting lineup and his manager is unsurprisingly keen for him to stay long-term.
“I’m not the person about the contract, but what he’s done in the last three games goes beyond my expectations. Every action he does, everything is well done. He has the ability to read situations in one second. He is so intelligent.
I’m delighted the academy has produced a top player and I hope he stays for a long time.”
With Rico Lewis performing so well, it is expected that he will retain his place in the starting eleven for the trip to Chelsea. Joao Cancelo may return to the side on the opposite side with the Portuguese defender yet to make a start for his club since returning from the World Cup.
Bernado Silva’s future
The speculation around the future of fellow Portuguese ace, Bernado Silva, also continues to grow. Earlier this week, the midfielder teased that he was perhaps ready to start a “new project” elsewhere and Guardiola has admitted that Silva’s future “belongs to him”. He said:
“He is a key player, so important on and off the pitch. You can talk and have a nice conversation with him and learn something about his humanity or vision for the team.
He is great against top sides and in decisive games always he is there. Nothing changes about his future, it belongs to him.”
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