MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola said Manchester City are tasked with chasing down the best team in the world in Premier League leaders Arsenal as he launched a defiant defense of his players after a chastening week.
City were well beaten by local rivals Manchester United last weekend before suffering one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history away to Norway’s Bodo/Glam on Tuesday.
Guardiola’s men are yet to win a league game in 2026, allowing Arsenal to open up a seven-point lead in the title race.
But the City boss backed his “extraordinary” group of players to respond as they remain in contention for silverware in four competitions.
“Absolutely, the best team right now in the world,” said Guardiola on the challenge of chasing down Arsenal, who have also won all seven of their Champions League matches.
“So look in the Champions League, in the Premier League, look in (the) FA Cup, in Carabao Cup — it’s the best team right now.
“Hopefully we can be close and getting better, getting better and have the chance to catch them.
“I have an extraordinary team, an extraordinary group of players. And we are all together. We are a fantastic football team, I don’t have any doubts about that.”
City’s dip in form has coincided with the loss of key defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to injury.
The arrival of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace should mitigate their absence with the England international set to make his debut against Wolves on Saturday.
“It’s going to help us because the experience of Mark is exceptional,” added Guardiola.
“Considering the absence of central defenders it’s really good.”
Dias, Gvardiol and Nico Gonzalez remain sidelined for City, but Matheus Nunes could return after missing the last two games with a virus.
Man City chasing ‘world’s best’ in Arsenal, says Guardiola
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Man City chasing ‘world’s best’ in Arsenal, says Guardiola
- “Absolutely, the best team right now in the world,” said Guardiola on the challenge of chasing down Arsenal
- “Hopefully we can be close and getting better, getting better and have the chance to catch them”
Pakistan bowl first against Netherlands in T20 World Cup opener
- The Pakistan government has instructed its national team to boycott its Feb. 15 Group A game against co-host India
- The ICC has requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider the decision otherwise it will forfeit the marquee game
COLOMBO: Pakistan, at the center of a boycott controversy that has overshadowed the lead up to the T20 World Cup, has won the toss and elected to field against the Netherlands in the tournament’s opening game on Saturday.
The Pakistan government has instructed its national team to boycott its Feb. 15 Group A game against co-host India, a decision that shook the cricket world only six days ago.
The ICC has since requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider the decision otherwise it will forfeit the marquee game of the tournament.
If Pakistan goes ahead with its boycott against India, it can ill afford to lose points in its three other Group A games — a group that also features the US and Namibia.
A grassy wicket at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, hosting its first T20 in 16 years, surprised Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha.
“First time I’ve seen this much grass in Sri Lanka,” Agha said at the toss. “We’re playing three pacers and allrounders. Netherlands are a good side, but we want to execute our plans.”
The Netherlands has a history of surprising stronger opposition in T20 World Cups, including beating South Africa in 2022 in Australia which cleared the way for Pakistan to qualify for the semifinals.
Captain Scott Edwards said his team had got used to the conditions after spending more than a month in India and Sri Lanka.
“For us, it’s a big game, so are the other three,” Edwards said.
LATER SATURDAY
In the two other games on Saturday, Scotland, which replaced Bangladesh in Group C, will meet two-time champion West Indies in Kolkata while co-host and defending champion India plays against the US at Mumbai in a Group A match.
LINEUPS
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (captain), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren.
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed.
