Pep: City must beat Palace to stay in title race

MANCHESTER — Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players that if they don’t beat Crystal Palace on Saturday it will be “almost impossible” to win the Premier League title.

City travel to Selhurst Park knowing that a win will take them level on points with leaders Liverpool, who play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

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However, Guardiola said that, with Arsenal also in the race, anything less than victory will mean their title hopes are all but over.

“We have to win that game,” Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.

“We’re third, not far away from the top of the Premier League, but if we drop points it will be almost impossible.”

Guardiola said the importance of the game against Palace has meant he’s not yet started to think about the prospect of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday.

“If we were 18 points in front of second in the Premier League, I would have two eyes on Madrid, but it’s not the case,” he said.

“After that we will have more time, not for recovery, but to prepare.

“So I have not had much time to see Real Madrid. When we have been fighting for nine or 10 months for the [Premier League], why should I be distracted now from this important game against Palace, when the distance is so close.”

Battling for the Premier League, Champions League and the FA Cup, City could still repeat their historic treble from last season.

Of all the competitions, Guardiola has been most successful in the Premier League, winning the title in five of the last six years and the last three in a row.

But despite City’s dominance, Guardiola said the Premier League remains his overriding priority.

“I love it,” he said.

“Of the domestic trophies, it is the most important — Premier League or La Liga. I’m not going to say the Champions League is not nice, of course it is.

“So now we have it and know how it feels in our soul and we are at peace, for the fact we’ve got it.

“[The Premier League] is just the nicest because it’s more difficult, there are more games, you know every week, two or three games.

“The Champions League, of course, is important, but it depends on something you perhaps can’t control. Both are incredibly important, but the Premier League proves a lot. It shows the mentality of the teams, being there all the time for many, many years.

“For me personally, from my education at home or whatever, every day you have to do the best — that means a lot to me personally.”