Arsenal will be Man City’s main title challengers this season | Football Digest
Pep Guardiola kept his response short and sweet when asked about Facundo Pellistri’s brutal Manchester City dig. The winger suggested that Sky Blues fans are hard to come by in Manchester, adding an extra element of tension ahead of this weekend’s derby.
Manchester United youngster Pellistri certainly didn’t mince his words when asked about life in the north of England. Speaking to Uruguayan radio station Carve Deportiva, he stated: “Manchester is all about United.
“You don’t see City shirts or flags. Sometimes, with my girlfriend, we go out and say ‘let’s try to find one’ and we don’t see them.” Guardiola was asked for his take on the remarks during his press conference on Friday afternoon.
But not wishing to get drawn into a firefight with the 21-year-old, he bluntly responded: “It’s okay. It’s fine.” Guardiola will naturally hope that his City players do the talking on the pitch when the two sides meet on Sunday.
Don’t miss… Ferdinand risks angering Maguire as Man Utd icon recommends two new defenders
The Sky Blues are under pressure to keep pace with Tottenham at the top of the Premier League table, with the Londoners sitting two points clear after their recent win over Fulham.
United, meanwhile, are seeking to claw back ground after making a torrid start to the campaign. Erik ten Hag’s side currently sit eighth, and both teams won their respective Champions League clashes this week to boost confidence levels heading into the showdown.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Read more…
Tonali ban may be bad news for Arsenal as Newcastle prepare to flex muscles[TRANSFERS]
Sandro Tonali’s season over as Newcastle star handed hefty betting ban[LATEST]
Man Utd’s Jadon Sancho showed true colours after being left out of Bayern trip[REPORT]
“Old Trafford, [even] when I was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, when I travel to Old Trafford [it is] always special,” added Guardiola.
“[It is always a] special occasion, special place. It’s special for our fans but it’s just a football game. It’s not a final. The match won’t define the season, there are still 30 games to go but we have to be focussed.”
City have already been defeated twice in the league this campaign, with many wondering whether they can maintain their lofty standards after winning a superb silverware treble in 2022/23.
It remains to be seen whether Pellistri will be given a chance to help inflict City’s third loss. Ten Hag has used him sparingly so far this term, and the Uruguay international has zero goal contributions to show for his 84 minutes of Premier League action.
Pellistri, who rose through the ranks in his homeland with Penarol, spent two seasons on loan at Spanish side Alaves before finally being given a chance in the first team by Ten Hag.
Source: Read Full Article