MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that his team’s challenge to win the Premier League this season could end if they fail to beat West Ham United tomorrow.
City are likely to go into the London Stadium 10 points behind league leaders Arsenal if Arsenal beat Everton earlier in the day.
Although City still have a game in hand and home advantage when they face Arsenal next month, Guardiola insists his team cannot afford to drop points again.
“The league is the hardest trophy to win. I always believe the Premier League is the hardest and we are still in the competition, but if we lose points it will be over,” said Guardiola.
City also need to bounce back quickly after a heavy 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, which has left their chances of advancing to the quarter-finals slim.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles in his nine seasons with City since arriving in England.
However, last season saw City fall far behind when they finished in third place, 13 points behind champions Liverpool.
“Now it’s a satisfaction to be in this situation. Last season we weren’t in this situation at the level of the season we are at now,” he said.
Meanwhile, West Ham are still in the relegation zone, but have lost only two of their last 11 matches in all competitions.
The team is now just one point from safety and has also managed to advance to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.