Gap to Liverpool shorter than expected – Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola provided an injury update ahead of their Premier League clash with West Ham on Wednesday, while he thinks the gap to leaders Liverpool is “shorter” than he expected.

Guardiola told reporters in a pre-match press conference: “John (Stones) and Gabriel (Jesus) are still out.

“Now Fernandinho and Aymeric (Laporte) are too. I don’t know exactly how long for. The next weeks they will be out.”

But there was better news on Benjamin Mendy, who could be fit to face the Hammers.

“He is better and has been training in the last three or four days,” Guardiola added. “The reaction from the knee has been good. He could be fit. We will see.”

Guardiola admits his side come into this game in confident mood after their Carabao Cup triumph.

He said: “Of course it is better always in training, to have won a second title of the season and the weather is better, but the reality is we don’t have a lot of time to think about what happened. Tomorrow we have another test.”

Former City boss Manuel Pellegrini returns to the Etihad for the first time as an opposition manager.

Guardiola said: “He will get the reaction he deserves. I’m sure it will be high. He did an incredible job.”

The Spaniard also admitted that the gap to leaders Liverpool is shorter than he was expecting at this stage.

“It is shorter than I expected but they are still leading by one point and there are a lot of games to play,” he added.

Guardiola is adamant that tiredness will not be a factor for his side in the title race.

He said: “The only thing we can do is put on pressure, we can respond and win.

“I don’t want to see excuses about tiredness, fixtures, schedules. When you have the illusion to fight until the end, the energy that gives you is higher than anything.”