Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola praised upcoming opponents Chelsea, insisting it will ‘be a tough one’ when they play at the Etihad this weekend.
The reverse fixture between the two was one of the games of the season, a pulsating 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge. Despite Chelsea’s inconsistent form since then, Guardiola believes it won’t be easy for his City side.
“They playing really really good last few games. They have everything: intense, quality, able to not lose the ball,” Guardiola said.
“They are a really good team, tough one tomorrow.”
City have won six of the last seven meetings between the two teams, but with a different manager and new stars Chelsea could spring a surprise on the champions
One of those players is ex-City academy product, Cole Palmer. Arguably Chelsea’s ‘Player of the Season’, his former manager was full of praise for how he’s performed this year.
“I didn’t have any doubts about his quality. The way he’s playing is a star player,” he said.
“He’s just an exceptional player. He moved on to get the minutes he has, it was just a question of time to show his quality.
“He’s a lovely lad and he helped us to achieve what we achieved.”
