"You are going to drop points and games" - Pep Guardiola makes bold Premier League title prediction for Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City
Manchester City and Liverpool have won the Premier League with 100, 99, and 97 points in the last five years. City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that a similar formula will have to be applied to determine who will lift the title this season.
Liverpool and Manchester City have pushed each other in the title race in the last five years. Man City finished the 2017-18 season with 100 points. Meanwhile, Manchester United, their bitter rivals, ended in second place with just 81 points.
Interestingly, both teams have looked impenetrable this season. They are also fighting for the top spot with a resurgent Chelsea side. Hence, Pep believes the title race will go on beyond 90 points this season. He said:
"The champions will have to win a lot of games for sure. 90 [points] or over. Last year had COVID and was without people, it was a tough year for all the clubs. Sometimes, there were consequences to drop some points and we won the league quite comfortably at the end."
He added:
"We won the last games in the Premier League, what's next is Wolves. They are close to the top of the league right now. It's this one, then after that on Tuesday, it is Leeds and don't think about anything other than that. It is confusing to think about long runs because when you start to think about that you are going to drop points and games."
In the 2018-19 season, Liverpool finished second with 97 points while Manchester City clinched the trophy with 98 the following year.
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However, a year later, Liverpool won their first PL title since 1990. The Reds lost just three games and finished the season with 99 points.
Last season was a bummer for the Anfield side. Jurgen lost several key players to injuries for the better part of the season. As a result, Liverpool finished in third place with just 69 points and failed to defend their Premier League crown.
There's just a two-point difference between Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea
Manchester City have already lost as many games as they did during the 2017-18 campaign. However, they have won all of their last five Premier League games and currently sit in the top spot with 35 points.
Liverpool have lost just one game to West Ham United this season. Despite that, they have looked extremely comfortable with the return of their seasoned centre-backs.
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If he scores against Wolves, he would be the 32nd different player to reach triple figures in the competition 💯
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Chelsea had a six-point lead at the top of the table until a couple of weeks back. However, Tuchel's men have won just two of their last five Premier League games and sit in the third position, behind Liverpool and Manchester City.
Chelsea take on Leeds United on Saturday with Liverpool going up against Aston Villa.