Pep Guardiola claims he's more likely to stay at Manchester City if club are charged and relegated to League One
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made a bold claim regarding his future at the Etihad Stadium. The Spaniard has claimed that he is likely to stay at the club even if the Cityzens are charged by FFP and relegated to League One.
Everton became the first Premier League club to receive a sporting sanction for flouting financial regulations when the Toffees were deducted 10 points earlier this month. Since then, it has been speculated that the Cityzens could face much more serious consequences if they are proven guilty of violating financial rules.
Manchester City are still awaiting the outcome of the Premier League's investigation after being hit with 115 charges in February for breaching financial rules. Guardiola has claimed that he is a big fan of financial fair play rules and believes that the guilty must be punished.
The Cityzens have so far denied any wrongdoing and Pep Guardiola has insisted that he will remain at the club even if they are demoted to League One. He also insisted that Manchester City are innocent until proven guilty and urged everyone to wait for the outcome of the investigation. He said, as quoted by The Guardian:
“I will answer when I have the sentence. You are questioning like we have been punished. And in the moment we are innocent until guilt is proved. I know the people want it. I know, I feel it. I will wait. Wait and see it and after the sentence has been done we will come here and explain it."
Guardiola added:
“But absolutely I will not consider my future [if] it depends on being here [Premier League] or being in League One. Absolutely. There is more chance to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League.”
Manchester City will host Liverpool in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash on Saturday, November 25. The Cityzens currently sit at the top of the table while Jurgen Klopp's side are just one point behind.
Dirk Kuyt makes score prediction for PL clash between former club Liverpool and Manchester City
Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has backed his former side to beat Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday (November 25). The former Netherlands international has predicted a 1-2 win for the Reds with Darwin Nunez bagging the winner. The Dutchman said, as quoted by talkSPORT:
"I see Liverpool winning! Darwin Nunez making the winning goal. Both teams will score. 1-2 the final score."
Liverpool have an impressive historical record against Manchester City having won 108 out of the 224 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to the Cityzens' 60 victories. However, the Reds have won only one of their last 15 matches away from home against the Sky Blues in the Premier League, with their only victory during this period coming by a 4-1 scoreline in 2015.