Pep Guardiola has sent a strong message to his Manchester City players ahead of their crucial Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
The Cityzens continue their pursuit of Arsenal at the top of the standings and a win would see them reduce the gap to two points, with just two games left to play.
Manchester City will be wary of dropping points once again, after they recently failed to make their advantage count in a 3-3 draw with Everton.
However, Guardiola has warned his side not to underestimate the threat and quality of Palace, who can also be dangerous in transitions.
“It has always been tough games, particularly under Roy Hodgson and now Oliver [Glasner]”, Guardiola said.
“They have a European final so maybe they struggle a little bit in the Premier League but there is a lot of changes, manager is leaving, announced a long time ago and maybe they are not consistent but the quality is there. The patent is there.”
Manchester City have won five of their last eight meetings across all competitions, but suffered a 1-0 defeat in the fixture in the 2025 FA Cup final.
The Cityzens return to Wembley for another final this weekend, having already won the EFL Cup with a 2-0 win over Arsenal.
Meanwhile, they were also victorious in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign, winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park in December.
Guardiola also expressed admiration for the great work done by Austrian tactician Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace. The former Frankfurt manager led the club to their first major trophy last year and also the the FA Community Shield earlier in the campaign.
The Eagles will also play in their first-ever European final later this month when they face Rayo Vallecano in the final of the Conference League.
He has done an incredible job, experienced manager, no doubts. A top team. Really tough to beat and always have been”, Guardiola concluded.
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