Pep Guardiola calls Liverpool a 'pain in the a***'

Pep Guardiola has claimed Liverpool are capable of stopping his Manchester City side from winning the Champions League this season.

The Citizens are arguably the favourites for Europe's elite club competition this season and essentially sealed their spot in the quarter finals on Tuesday night by smashing Sporting CP 5-0, with Bernardo Silva scoring a brace alongside strikes from Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling.

European giants Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea remain among the big hitters still in the competition, though Liverpool have given City some of their most damaging defeats in recent years.

When asked which team could stop City from winning the Champions League, Guardiola said: “Liverpool. They are six points behind us. They’ve been our biggest rivals in the past few seasons and are always there – a pain in the a***, all the time! They are a fantastic team in Europe.”

Liverpool aren't yet six points behind City. Currently, they are nine points adrift, though they do have a game in hand.

Back in the 2017/18 edition of the Champions League, Liverpool halted City's European charge by thrashing Guardiola's side 5-1 over two legs, with Klopp's side blowing their opposition away during the first game when they went 3-0 up in 31 minutes.

On the result against Sporting, Guardiola added: “The result is a dream, but the performance we can do better. I am absolutely more than delighted. We were so clinical when we arrived to the goal. We have a duty as a manager and team to analyse.”

City are back in action on Saturday when they host Tottenham in the Premier League.

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